Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
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Albion blog: Tough as Toffee
Friday 27th February 2009, 9:14AM GMT.
Albion blogger Jarrod Hill believes strong and positive decisions need to be made when the Baggies go to Everton in the early kick-off.
I feel the need to be honest with you my fellow fans, I am finding it hard to write this blog.
The last two performances have left me and I am sure many of you feeling pretty low. I feel almost compelled to try and lift our collective spirits and at least give a balanced view of our predicament – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Yet finding anything positive to say is a weight I am finding hard to bear and I do not want to emphasise the fact I am a naturally pessimistic fan.
One of the reasons for feeling even more pessimistic is the fact I cannot see us getting anything out of our next two games.
Everton are strong at home and have found some excellent form recently, we then move quickly onto our home game with Arsenal.
What I want to see more than anything else is some fight and passion from our boys; if we lose then I will take it on the chin. It would be nice to look like we actually have a game plan as well.
Everton on a number of occasions have played one up front and their midfield has guile, strength, and goals. So what in your opinion should we do tactically, and who should play?
Do we match them in formation and go five in midfield, or stick with our policy of attack being the best form of defence. If we go with five in midfield, do we play a more defensive minded midfielder?
After the last two horror shows I would be tempted to play Pele in midfield, either in a midfield of four or five.
My 4-5-1 team would be – Carson, Zuiverloon, Donk, Meite, Robinson, Morrison, Koren, Pele, Valero, Cech, Fortune.
My 4-4-2 team would be – Carson, Zuiverloon, Donk, Meite, Robinson, Morrison, Koren, Pele, Cech, Fortune, Simpson.
I would also like to see Marek Cech given a chance at left midfield – and please drop Leon Barnett to the bench.
His confidence looks completely shot and, although Abdoulaye Meite only looks marginally better, I would much prefer Ryan Donk as his centre half partner – we need to get Jonas Olsson fit.
Earlier in the season I felt this low and it looked like we were drifting away, yet two good results put us back in the hunt, although my gut feeling is we will struggle in the next two games, but one good result puts us back within touching distance.
Maybe just maybe, with some fight, passion, belief and a slice of luck we can get a result. We desperately need some sort of lift – both players and fans.
At the very least I want to see 100 per cent effort from every player, isn’t that the least we deserve?
Come on lads, if you can play with the same pride and passion we the supporters have for our beloved club, we would win more than we lose.
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As you say Bomber, the thing that the fans really want to see from this performance is pride in the shirt – a committed, passionate performance that sends out the message that they believe that we can stay up.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we went back to 5 in midfield for this one, but this is only worth doing if at least some of the 5 are willing to tackle. Playing five gnomes in midfield won’t add any bite and will leave us short up front.
The last week has been one of the most pessimistic for me in recent years but I’ve set it all aside now and am positively looking forward to a much improved performance on Saturday – don’t let me down lads !
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If we do play the Hobbits in midfield, they need someone to back them up with some bite in the midfield. I don’t Pele would be the man for the job personally as he’s too laid back.
What the Albion need is someone with some urgency in midfield who can get their foot in and distribute the ball well too. I’d look at playing Robbo or Cech in the middle and the other one at left back.
Anyway, whatever happens, I’m determined to have a good day out tomorrow and will enjoy the rest of the season, hopefully with the Albion showing some desire and getting enough points on the board to stay up.
To anyone who’s going up early tomorrow, there are a few of us going in a Wetherspoons pub on Walton Road (10 mins walk from the ground) called the ‘Thomas Frost’.
See you there hopefully.
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Jarrod, I agree with your recommendations, but if Tony Mowbray thinks so. I do not believe!
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I don’t so much feel low, as hollow.
IMO Simpson should be dropped to the bench – he was friggin’ useless at Fulham – it’d be interesting to see how many of his passes were completed.
Personally, against Everton I’d like to see Fortune and Bednar up top.
Koren and Valero in the middle of a 4 with Morrison and Brunt right and left.
A back 4 of Robbo (we KNOW he’s going to play because it doesn’t matter how many goals against originate from our left he NEVER gets dropped), Meite, Pele and Zui.
Between the sticks isn’t an option for change either.
I said this time last week that I was more concerned about the Fulham match than this one – and I stand by that.
We ARE capable of getting one or 3 points from this game.
They’re missing Arteta and Saha is not likely to start.
Unfortunately I can’t make this game – but I expect much more than I’ve seen before – I’ll be having another tenner on us staying up before the match!
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I think we should play carson, zuiverloon meite and robinson, the second cetnre back i am unsure about because chopping and changing every week does the organisation no good at all, yet barnett is not really up to scratch at the moment. my midfield would be koren in the CENTRE!!!! he is one of our most comsistent performers, got a good engine, can score and is under-rated in my opinion. we function best with him in the middle and morrison on the right! although brunt did well when he came on i too would play cech on the left. again the second centre mindfeild player is a tough call. valero gave the ball away countless times at fulham, and although i think he is a good pplayer, i think we need something different for saturday. why not through mulumba (forgive the spelling) in? although the core middle players of any formation are critical, we are not expected to get anything from the game and he is supposed to be a ball winner! fortune and simpson remain te most threatening up front for me.
i really think we can pull somthing off in my unbiased opinion… we are due a win against a ‘top ten, side, and an away win too, why not tomorro.
keep he faith
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Koren should be in the centre of midfield in my opinion 100%. He’s the onloy one who can harass opposing players enough to get the ball back off them.
My team would be:
Carson
Zuvi, Meite, Donk, Cech
Simpson, Koren, Robbo, Mozza
Fortune, Bednar
Subs: Kiely, Moore, Hoff, Valero, Barnett, Brunt, Dorrans
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Come on lads,put some fight in it sat,dont let Tony down again,for all the moaning were all behind you be proud to wear the shirt,we are!lets get off the bottom Boing Boing Up the Baggies Show them the Mowbray way!
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Theres keep the faith and theres keeps the faith, come on, even the most one eyed baggies fan can see now theres nothing there, this squad of players can huff and puff as hard as they want, the bottom line is, plain and simple WERE JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH
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Excellent blog again, at least there’s one consistent thing, anyway, what has happened to Dorrans, he always seems liveley and puts his foot in when he plays, also have been looking at footage of Menseguez on youtube, he seems quite direct, he just gets the ball down and runs at the defender from the right wing, may be an option, playing Koren and morrison in the middle, with brunt on the left and Dorrens sitting in there, i would still play Bednar up front, either as a two or on his own for the first half, and the rest from who ever is fit, possibly with Cech at left back.
Anyway a word to Mowbray and his men if you cant do it for us, do it for my cat, i caught him looking up the RSPCA number this morning in preperation for tomorrow.
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Nedball …
If TM does choose to play Hobbits across the middle, he needs to take that Ring of them first …
I swear they keep slipping it on, and dissapear, just when they are needed :-)
I’m with Klunk, and would like to see what Dorans might do
Hoff, I too agree, 4-4-2 please.
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10 – ha ha!! I never realised, but you must be right, that’s why our midfield seems to just disappear when we don’t have the ball!
I like the look of Dorrans as he’s direct when he has the ball, gets it in the box early and hardly wastes it. Menseguez is supposed to be like that too, but I’d play Mozza over him for now.
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KIELY LOON, MEITE, DONK, CECH MORRISON, KOREN, DORRENS, PELE SIMPSON, FORTUNE…………………………..THEN PREY
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Jarrod.
Perhaps you are a bit pessimistic, surely all long term Albion fans are entitled to be. I think I’d describe you as a realist of the glass half empty leaning. Personally I like the look of Ned’s line up at No 6 except that I’d have Menesgues in for Simpson, we need a threat and he doesn’t look shy about running the ball at players. I’m a long time Bednar admirer for his fantastic work rate and giving defenders a hard time, this would also leave the option of bringing the pace of Simpson off the bench. I might even think of using Barnett in midfield as a shield in front of the centre halves, allowing the full backs more attacking freedom, just tell him to get out there and tackle anything that moves. Got to agree about RK as well, he looks twice the player in the middle as he does out wide.
I’m at work tomorrow Jarrod but hope you’ll join me in an imaginary half full glass of something, win, lose or draw. Up the Baggies.
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What happens to Mowbray if we loose??
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Jarred Hill
I totally agree with your teams but Mowbray
will stick with his favorites,ROBINSON,VALERO,
BRUNT,and BARNETT.
In terms of football then this week has been the
worst of my entire life,its becoming predictable and boaring.
I think I`ll stick to record collecting!
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Santa
Jeremy Peace will give him a new 4 year contract
because Mowbray`s a YES MAN!
Iam also starting to agree with fans about Borja
Valero,WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!,
the more I watch him the more he looks like a poor mans PETROV.
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MY ALBION 11:
Carson-
Zuiverloon-Meite-Pele-Robinson-
Menseguez-Morrison-Koren-Teixeira-Cech-
Fortune.
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