Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
- Shopping blogger Emma Iannarilli
Should he stay or should he go?
Friday 6th November 2009, 9:10AM GMT.
Albion blogger Jarrod Hill has his own take on Robert Koren as the player edges nearer to the exit at the Hawthorns.
After last Saturday’s 5-0 goal fest against Watford, I would be as happy as our head coach Roberto Di Matteo if we could win at Leicester 1-0. The Foxes have hit some form themselves and sit one point and one place behind us, and with an Albion old boy in charge in Nigel Pearson it all makes for an exciting game.
It seems the thumping of Watford didn’t please everybody within the Baggies camp, no I am not referring to our manager and his post match impression of Mr Grumpy.
I am talking about midfielder Robert Koren and the news this week that the Slovenian has instructed his agent to investigate the possibility of leaving the club in January.
Although I should not be surprised, I was. He has struggled to become a regular starter this season, because a combination of his own poor form and the outstanding performances of Graham Dorrans, Youssouf Mulumbu, and Gonzalo Jara has seen him slip down the pecking order.
I do feel for him, often asked to play out wide when it was obviously neither his preferred position or his best, but it was due to a lack of other options within our squad. With Chris Brunt, Jerome Thomas, Marek Cech and Felipe Teixeira all showing their capabilities to play as a winger this season, where did that leave Koren? Unfortunately for him, on the bench
The thing is I rate Koren, and it could be argued that the excellent displays of Dorrans, Mulumbu and Jara this season are in no small part due to the competition for places in the centre of midfield.
If I am honest I am in two minds as to whether I want to see him leave. His World Cup dream will be decided before the opening of the transfer window in January and I am sure this will have had an impact on his decision.
But it never works out when a club holds onto a player who wants to leave, so I am sure our chairman Jeremy Peace will negotiate a suitable exit.
Back to the Leicester game tomorrow, I would be tempted to name an unnamed team if available, with Brunt and Bednar nearing full fitness that would leave a bench that offers a number of options to change a game. Mulumbu is back fit after missing last week’s game, but must be sweating on an instant return.
So far this season we have had some stunning results against Watford and Middlesbrough and some disappointing results – I cannot bare to name them – but what we need now is consistent performances that yield points.
It was always going to take time for Di Matteo to implement his style on this squad and learn everything he needs to know about his players. Hopefully we are nearing that time and our form will become more consistent.
Either that or the season will remain a rollercoaster until the end of the season.
Oh well jump on, strap yourselves in and lets all scream on the dips!
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hi jarrod,,,i can understand roko wanting to go because he isnt getting games.when he does play hes not in hes best position in the middle of midfield and is played wide,i would like to keep him for cover but like you said if hes unhappy maybe its best we cash in and let him go.if he goes i wish him well hes done ok in my eyes for me,,against leicester i would like to see the same team we put out against watford,i reckon di matteo might go with one up front,i hope not lets go there for the win with two up front..we will see…sure to be a good game but one i feel we can win ,,GOING UP THE DI MATTEO WAY,,IN STYLE OF COURSE,,OOOOOOOOOOOOOH YES..morning tez mate..
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I’d gladly take a 1 – 0 scrappy win tomorrow. I’d also take a thrilling 5 – 4 win, whatever it takes to bring home 3 more points basically.
Sorry to see Koren being put in his position, but I thought he would’ve been professional enough to realise that if he’s on the bench he will eventually get an opportunity and it’s then up to him to take that chance.
That’s what happened with Thomas, Cox, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Meite and there’s no reason why Koren can’t do this too!!
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morning lads, great blog as ever bomber, and im with you, dont really want him to go, but if his minds made up then jp will do us proud. After all it is the one area of our team that we do have planty of class cover and maybe the funds could be used to strenghthen other areas. Cant wait for tommorrows game,oh and by the way could you ask laurz who she fancies for first goal scorer, might haxe a little fiver on it ……lol
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Has anyone decided where they’re going for a pre match pint tomorrow yet by the way?
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I can understand Roko wanting to leave as well, he’s an amazing player and he stayed loyal to us during relegation and it would be good to keep him for cover. However, we need to play either Mulumbu or Jara for their tackles and defensive play and Dorrans is superbly well. I feel sorry for Koren but we need to do the best for the club and if we have to sell him then so be it. I think we’ll go 2 upfront tomorrow with Cox and Moore again, but I reckon we can sneak a win. Good luck to the Baggies <3
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Roko was good for us in the Premier League..
But I haven’t been impressed with his performances this season, maybe it’s because he’s not playing in his favoured position, maybe it’s simply because he’s not up for the Championship.
If we do get promoted at the end of the season, Roko would be a very valuable player to have. So, maybe a loan deal to a side where he can get first team football in the Premier League, but we get him back in June?
Hasn’t Birmingham City been mentioned as a possibility for a move? A loan deal there might suit.
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He should get his head down and train hard to impress the manager in the same way Tex did! His attitude smacks of ‘DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!’ to me!
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if he aint happy flog him,then sell him,aye boing boing
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He is on the bench because he has not played well for some time and I for one think his performances against Swansea and Coventry were a disgrace – he looked like he did not want to play, be on the pitch or wear the shirt. On his day he is a good player but we do not see that too often and he looks like a MowbrayMidfielder – small, lightweight and ineffectual.
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5. Cox and Moore upfront just shows as a club how much of a backwards step we have taken Phillips, Kamara, Fortune, Gera were options we had in the past now with Cox, Moore, fat Bednar (who shouldnt even be at the club) are the options.
Whats crazy is Roko is the BEST central midfielder at the club. Dorrans is good but goes missing in games at times, Mulumbu is a decent defensive midfielder but cannot do much else. Be criminal if we sold him. Why dont JP try and find us a sponsor just to get a couple of loan signings in, TESCO are doing well even in this financial climate, I know we would get some stick from the wolves fans but we have to concentrate on our own club and finishing in the top 6.
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Mark this day well, I find myself agreeing somewhat with Connor at No.6. That option of a loan to Blues or similar has a lot of merit. Roko is 29 and at a stage of career where he needs to play every game. If the loan isn’t on, then back JP to get good dosh for him and spend it in other areas, preferably young prospects like Dorrans, Mulumbu, Cox, etc. It’s nice to be in a position where we can sell a class player and still cope.
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A loan deal for koren would definatly get a thumbs up as everyone knows what quality he has and this route might see him get his head back!!!As for tomorrow, i would say keep the same team (bednar’s lost it in my opinion) but aslong as we dont lose it will be a good result!we always seem to fold in these kind of games so a point would be a good one!overall keep it up boys!!!!!
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Robert Koren should be in the starting 11 week
after week in his natural centre midfeild position
he scored 10 goals in our promotion winning season
so this shouldnt be over looked.
The reason the strikers are not scoring goals is
all down to having a negative midfeild of
Dorrans,Jara,and Mulumbu,Koren should be playing
in the centre with Dorrans on the left.
I can see Roberto Di Matteo playing 4-4-2
tomorrow with Bednar coming in for Simon Cox,
Yousouff Mulumbu for Abdoulaye Meite,and
Chris Brunt replacing Felipe Teixiera.
CARSON,ZUIVERLOON,JARA,OLSSON,MATTOCK,
BRUNT,MULUMBU,DORRANS,THOMAS,BEDNAR,MOORE.
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send him on his merry way if he wants to go, he isnt rocking the boat and has done well for us, all the best roko but don’t you dare come back to haunt us.
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Koren and Greening worked well together in the same way that Mulumbu and Dorrans are looking good together. However the new partnership is looking good in the championship whereas Koren was doing it well at Prem level. It’s easy to see why he is disgruntled but RDM needs to keep an eye on the Horizon of his objective which is Prem football next season. I for one would be happier to see Koren in CM in a Premiership baggies team than either Dorrans or Mulumbu. I also think Dorrans could be utilised in a wide position with Koren and Mulumbu in the centre – it’s good that RDM has more good quality (Brunt, Cech, Morrison, Jara)in the midfield, but not so good for Roko.
Thus I agree we need to keep him fit and well with next season in mind so a loan move is better than a sale unless someone wants to pay over 3m for him.
Since JP was looking to trim the squad and wage bill from the summer, I think he will be interested in offers – so I fear he may leave.
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Probably one of the best buys TM did, unfortunately i think we have moved on though. Koren is a fantastic player but i dont think we have missed him this season, its easy to say he would have scored more goals if he was playing however the partnership of Dorrans and Mulumbu is really strong. I wish you all the best Roko i have really enjoyed watching you play and hope you get into a premier league side. You have been a credit to WBA!
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Just a thought but hasnt Roko got the same agent as Gera??
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Good player though he is Koren struggles physically in this league. A move seems inevitable but I will always remember the great goals he scored. Good luck mate.
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I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to keep Koren given the choice of players we now have! He did us well in our promotion year but last season proved he wasn’t up to the premiership and surely that’s what RDM is building towards. Yes?
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Seems as though we have taken A.Trialist striker from Iceland.If it turns out o’k,does that mean we might get another one from Tesco’s.As for Koren,it doesn’t take long for players to show thier hand does it? If he was playing well enough when he came on,he’d be in the side,simples.Out,and they start to moan and ask about a move.Struth!get into the real world Robert,some people would love to be in your position,given the type of wages your on.
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Santa
I cant wait until tomorrow when Arsenal smash
7 past you,the Dog Heads will then be in the
bottom 3 and wanting MAD MICK out,listening to
WM will be music to my ears.
Portsmouth and Westham are both coming good now
so Wolves fans shouldnt be to cocky.
Albion did take a striker on trial but the bloke deciced against a move stating that the
club were to big for him.
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I didn’t know we were playing Arsenal,are they in the CCC.You should be able to take a joke pal,lighten up a bit,I’ve been supporting WBA for over 50 yrs,but never not been able to have a joke,about ANY thing including WBA.So get your facts staight befor e you make silly comments.
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16 Strod.
Quite often when I’m reading on here I get that BING BONG moment of a bell ringing in my head. Your post was one of those. It sums up perfectly, not what I was thinking but as I read it I realised it was what I should have been thinking.
I knew that I would be sorry to see RK go as he’s been a tremendous player for us but for some reason I wasn’t as upset about it as I should be. As you’ve pointed out, the midfield without RK has developed a more dynamic physical presence. Also the fact that if we get promoted he’ll be thirty and looking for a new contract.
One thing we must not let happen though is the situation when we had two top class keepers in Kuszak and Kirkland. We let Kirklnd go as he was only on loan but would probably have signed for us if he’d been first choice. Then Kuszak walked out on us, leaving us in the dodgy hands of a certain Swiss keeper.
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DLB,
“… listening to WM will be music to my ears …”
Less Mad Mick, more Mystic Meg in that sentence :-)
And Sir Terry, I like your advice, thought of using it on the wife …
… If she aint happy, flog her :-)
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21. That is hilarious, you are arguing with our fans. we finished 20th mate, they cant do any worse than we did. Stop making our club even more pathetic. The striker said “it is not a big enough club” not the other way around. The way our fans go on sometimes they think we were Arsenal – we are a championship club with no sponsor, poor attendances and a 20 man squad. Id much rather be playing Arsenal then Leicester tomorrow. Give it a rest.
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I wouldnt say too much guys, we got a lesson from Arsenal last season and wolves have not been in the bottom 3 all season, I work with some of their fans and Im not putting my neck on the line if they do lose 4-0 to Arsenal but we lose to Leicester I got to keep my mouth shut, different league , different class I hate to say.
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He shouldn’t have cut his hair! The missus don’t like his new look and I have to say I agree with her. Time for Roko to leave. At least we have the photos.
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all your comments are great but we carnt afford to get rid of koren hes a class player and if you look in the programs the closest player to 100 caps is koren we need players to stay and make more albion legands (400+ games)please tell me wat u think
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28 – you took the words out of my mouth! we cant afford to lose any more of our experienced players. lets not forget a couple of weeks ago we were scratching our heads at our results when dorrans/mulumbu were out of form and we have a lot of new players with little cham/prem experience who for me still have a lot to prove over a long season. if the comments in the press are true it looks grim for his future here but robbie has to try and keep roko happy but that will be tough with 8 or 9 midfielders( and hes not a mercenery otherwise he would have buggered off when we got relegated)
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Can you imagine the Gestapo interrogating one or two of the ‘disguised Wulfies’ on here? “Vot iss yewer nerm, pig-dog’? ‘brummierbaggie Your Highness’. “Vot iss yewer team’s colours schweinhund?’ ‘Cack and black your Honour, ooh nah, Ah mean black un white stripes, nah blue an’ white, Ah cor remember! Dow shoot me. Shoot Mick. Ooh Kroist ar’.
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Shropshirebaggie
I dont know how you can say Albion have poor
attendances after having 21.022 for a midweek
game with Swansea City,I brought 2 tickets for
me and my brother which cost £52 just to watch
that load of old dribble.
Last season in the Prem I`d say the football
we played was actually better than Aresenal
and Man Utd,the only reason we went down was
all down to Mowbray not using a holding midfeilder which every Prem team needs.
Once Roberto Di Matteo gets the inconsistency
sorted Albion will be tonking teams 5-0 almost
every week.
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