Albion Blog – Must Do Better
Tuesday 29th September 2009, 9:05AM BST.
Albion blogger Jarrod Hill joins the Baggies voices calling for better at Barnsley after the big disappointment of a first defeat of the season.
To say the Crystal Palace game was disappointing would be an understatement and it was easily our worst performance this season. We all knew what a Neil Warnock-inspired Crystal Palace team would represent, but we never looked like sustaining any real goal threat on what looks to be one of the poorer teams in this division.
Our lack of width was apparent from the start and Jerome Thomas’ suspension could hurt us more than we first realised, with Chris Brunt and Marek Cech also missing through injury.
I must admit that for the first time this season I thought our head coach Roberto Di Matteo got a number of decisions wrong. His refusal to play Filipe Teixeira on the right-wing baffled me, as the first half witnessed both Gonzalo Jara and Gianni Zuiverloon give it a go with no real penetration. Then I watched in total frustration as Reuben Reid come on to no effect.
Never in this lifetime is Reid a midfielder and I hope Di Matteo realises it sooner rather than later. My frustration was topped off when he missed an absolute sitter at the end of the game.
I sat there thinking we will click in a minute, we will create enough chances to get something from the game, but we never did click and the lack of a ‘Plan B’ was evident to all of us.
The few chances we did create couldn’t be taken and I couldn’t believe I was watching the same side that hammered Middlesbrough last week. But then it wasn’t the same side that ripped Boro apart, with our wingers all missing through injury or suspension, and our only other threat was from set pieces.
Our style of play so far this season has centred on us being strong in midfield and getting the ball out wide to set up our attacks, but as Saturday showed we need another string to our bow.
We have had a wonderful start to the season but this proved that injury to key players in certain positions can seriously affect us, our squad may need some strengthening and I hope the manager makes use of the loan market in the near future.
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Jarrod
Your dissapointment is evident in the economy of words, LW…..that means short blog, ok.
The problem with unbeaten runs is that often complacency sets in, and without realising it, you end up going through the motions EXPECTING the right things to happen, EXPECTING to win without fighting for the win, by the time realisation does eventualy kick in, the damage has already been done.
Some of the comments on here yesterday beggared beleif, the dismantling of certain players and the manager was excessive.
If any of those posters are Judges (of law, because they have no clue about football)
then one should fear a court appearence for littering………life imprisionment, and if this country still carried the death penalty !!
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Jarrod.
While it’s hard to argue with most of your blog, I can see the managers point of view on a couple of things. I had the same thought on Tex and expected him to start but RDM is not stupid and must have a reason for not using him. I’m not suggesting it’s anything like the same reason but remember last season when we were all saying ‘why won’t TM pick Bednar?’ then we found out the reason. We don’t always know what goes on behind the scenes, perhaps since his injury Tex isn’t up to two games in a week.
Reuben Reid came on I think because we needed some pace and I think at that stage Tex would have been replacing like with like.
I thought Jara and Zoov swapped over because Moses was giving Zoov a roasting but it didn’t make much difference. Moses is a hell of a player and I’m sure he’ll be gone in the window, wish he was coming here.
As usual your blog is well thought out and balanced, unlike some of the comments yesterday. As someone pointed out, with the three you mention being out as well as Morrison a lot of Prem teams would struggle. Cyril said yesterday that Tuesday night would also have had an effect, I’m sure this played a major part, we looked very lacklustre. The important thing now is how we pick ourselves up tonight. I was impressed the week before that the manager and players didn’t get too carried away with the Boro result. The rest of us shouldn’t do the same after Saturday.
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Very worrying on Saturday we didn’t look like scoring. I have said our squad lacks quality our 1st team does not but our squad does. Expect to win games when everyone is fit, when 2-3 players are out anything could happen. This is why Irvine turned the job down because of the 20 man squad limit. Di Matteo alot like Mowbray in the sense that he is one dimensional, no plan B. I am glad Olsson has signed a new deal, which ensures if we don’t get promoted we can warrant a decent fee. Newcastle look very strong at the moment.
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im going to barnsley in the car Jarrod,was going on the coach but i heard you might be driving it so thought i best be on safe side,aye boing boing hi laura xxx
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Load of tripe…..
Why so negative and analytical? Fair enough you have to fill this blog with something.
We got bullied, frustrated and beaten by a team who I quite frankly would rather gauge my eyes out with rusty spoons than watch week in week out.
forget, lets move on and move forward!
and what qualifies you to classify reids best position?
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i know it was dissapointing on saturday but even playing so badly we should have still seen palace off, we should have been 2 up before they scored,and as you say Reid missed a sitter at the end,but lets hope its a wake up call as forever said we may have got complacent,but im sure we will put it right at oakwell tonite,aye boing boing COME ON ME BABBBBBIEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
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Hi wbaforever
I must explain the shortness of my blog, time!!!
Work is hectic and although i planned to dedicate more time to it this week (plus i really wanted to) i was beaten by the big hand and the small hand. Plus its my daughters 6th birthday today and i spent lats night with her and took her to school this morning.
What i didnt have time to write is about tonights game. barnsley will not represent to us what Palace did and will lets us play a bit of football.
See you soon mate got to go!!
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Forever – the unrealistic expectations from fans on here – fans who have obviously only grown up on premier league football is destroying the spirit of our great club.
The desire to pounce on any player who commits the sin of not being 100% perfect is demoralising to read – god only knows how the players must feel….
The childish or aggressive abuse of players, managers, chairmen and fellow fans is something I thought I would never see from Albion fans – and forums like this must take a huge dose of the blame for that.
Therfore I decided to stop posting – unless there is a decent discussion going on. I still read the posts – but rarely feel the desire to join in.
So good luck with being a voice of reason – and I’m sure I’l catch you soon.
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Jarrod,
It was just one of those games that the Championship throws up now and again. Had Moore taken his chances everything would have looked different. It was a pretty even game, we conceded a poor goal and could not pull it back. As for the criticism of certain players, I think Moore should have scored two they were not difficult chances and with the second one particularly why did he not hit it fiorts time? Reuben Reid does not look like a cChampionship player in my book and I agree Teixeira could have made a difference but he still lookm over weight to me. Hopefully we will beat Barnsley and go on anothert run.
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Surely the whole point of a football ‘MATCH’ is to expect the unexpected? It is lovely when we win, but that doesn’t bring the uneasy tingle which accompanies a really close game when the opposition bites you back. More to the point about Saturday and Palace was it was absolutely, mind-bogglingly boring! That ain’t football as we’ve come to expect it at The Hawthorns. What it showed me personally is how damn good Brunt, Morrison and Thomas really are, because without them, we were ordinary, pedestrian, predictable. I would also like to know whether Teixera’s injury has taken something from him that we don’t know about.
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Happy, have you any idea what could happen if you desert the ‘voice of reason’ posts? Two weeks ago on holiday, I heard an Irish couple say they intended to vote ‘yes’ in their EU referendum because they’d been told they would have to keep on voting until they did. ‘No’ simply wouldn’t do. So they were giving up. I just had to remind them of their responsibilites. Same for you mate.
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charlo baggie
What qualifies me to say what Reuben Reids best position is??
Nothing, but ive now seen him play right midfield three times and i am hoping that it isnt his best position. He has played as a striker all of his career, and i actually feel soory for the lad. As we are judging him on his performances at right midfield and not up front were he is used to playing.
And if you didnt like the blog i apologise, i was a little short of time and i appreciate its not one of my best.
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3)boingboing
I have more chance of convincing people i meet face to face that i am an 8 foot Chinaman, than you have of convincing anyone on here that you are an Albion fan.
7) Bomber
At least you`re busy in Blighty, it`s threatening winter here now…..BBRRRRR
8) Happy
I have noticed your posts are somewhat infrequent these days, but read any given blog on any given day and the one thing that is certain, it will be hijacked by someone…….I give you post 3 as a case in point.
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wbabomber. Your blogs are always ‘readworthy’. We may not always agree with them on every point, but it would be much sadder posting board without them. Keep ‘em coming aer kid.
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The problem on here now is dingles constently using baggies names to have a thinly veiled dig. I use number 3 as a perfect example. Irvine did not turn the job down. And we have lost 1 game serioulsy everybody get a grip
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I really dont know what all the moaning is about. WE lost one game, so what, the season is about the marathon. Were second in the table, have some exceptional players to come back from injury. We have IMO a very good young manager who is learning his trade.
So we lost to Palace, I think the only reason I would be annoyed is that we lost to a side managed by that idiot Warnock.
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Rare comment for me these days on here due to work commitments. Im off to barnsley on the coach terry so ill see you there. Bomber, as always your blogs are very interesting, and yes it may be shorter but its to the point. My match report in the express and star last night was also short, couldnt find much to say about the game, sure im baffled by some decisions, brunt and koren on the wrong foot, tex’s absence, etc etc. Saturdays defeat was just that, but it was more the nature of defeat that i know bothered both of us, lack of ideas, lack of football and certainly a lack of entertainment.I just hope it was down to Warnocks ability to kill a game before it starts and not down to us being caught short. Anyway onwards and upwards, lets hope its a good result tonight. We love em we love em and that is why we follow, we follow, cos we support the baggies, the baggies and thats the way we like it, we like it woah woah woah !!!!!!!!!! c’ mon baggies
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I think there are several good posts today. It shows football is all about opinions. We all have our own. Should Moore be part of the 1st team? Wat is Reid’s best position? Was there poor team selection and substitutions? I was a disappointed as anyone but at the end of the day, we are 2nd in the league, we have a few key players (Brunt, Thomas, Clement, Morrison and Miller) who would be any other team in this league. So, it’s not all bad. Let’s hope it was just a bad day at the office and a reminder that you have to earn the right to beat a side – not just expect. Let’s hope Robbie picks a side to win tonight and Saturday’s game will be forgotten. Come on boys, let’s have 3 points tonight please.
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It’s a very sombre read on here today.
It was a poor performance on Saturday where we lacked ideas and seemed a little lost going forward.
Had Reid or Moore finished one of the few chances we managed to stumble upon and the referee noticed that Palace’s goal was a blatant handball we’d all have been saying ‘we didn’t play well, but we won.’
However, we obviously didn’t and hopefully we will learn from this.
Bomber, I agree with you on Reuben Reid, he looks lost out wide and may actually be a victim of having such natural pace. The same thing happened to Ishmael Miller when he was at Man City, if you’re fast, you often get shoved out wide.
Give him time to learn and grow, and he may well live up to his potential, but at present he doesn’t look like a Chapionship level winger on the bits and pieces we have seen of him.
A draw would do me tonight cos I’ve been to Barnsley 4 times and we’ve lost 3 and only managed to draw only 1 of them, so it’s not a very happy stomping ground for us.
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I think that there have been some good posts today. It shows football is all about opinions. Should Moore be starting? What is Reid’s best position? Did RDM pick the best team? Did he make the right substitutions? I believe that most supporters would have taken 1 defeat and 2nd in the league at the stage. We had Brunt, Thomas, Cech, Morrison, Miller and Clement unavailable on Saturday and we are still 2nd in the league. All that matters is that RDM and players get it right tonight and with 3 more points, Saturdays’s woes will be forgotten. Come on boys, 3 points tonight please.
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pete think we will be heading for the leisure club,aye boing boing pint a bitter plz
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I`d like to see the following team for Barnsley
game:
GK Scott Carson
RB Gianni Zuiverloon
CB Abdoulaye Meite
CB Jonas Olsson
LB Gonzalo Jara
LW Chris Brunt
CM Felipe Teixeira
CM Robert Koren
RW Graham Dorrans
FW Chris Wood
FW Roman Bednar.
Martis and Barnett have had their chance so its
time to give Meite a game or two.
Steve Poole Baggie
Reuben Reids best position is on the transfer
list never to be seen again.
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Why do we always seem to have all our top players injured together? also what time are they expected back to play:
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