Roy Hodgson wants defensive repeats
Wednesday 28th December 2011, 10:59AM GMT.
West Brom boss Roy Hodgson today demanded more cleans sheets from his team as he urged them to build on their Boxing Day heroics.
The Baggies became the first domestic side this season to deny Premier League leaders Manchester City from scoring as they earned a point from a goalless draw.
And Hodgson now wants more of the same after the shut-out of City gave his side their fourth clean sheet of the season.
The head coach said: “I’m very proud of it, and what’s more I’d like to see more of it. We rely so heavily on scoring goals because we don’t keep many clean sheets.
“We need more clean sheets and hopefully this will give us the confidence that if we can keep Manchester City out we can keep other teams out, if we work as hard as we can.”
Centre-back Jonas Olsson played a major part in Monday’s clean sheet but the Sweden defender today insisted the entire Baggies team must share the credit.
“We’re very pleased with a point and our performance,” said Olsson. “I think we deserved a point and a team I think we defended like a unit from Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long up front to the back.”
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Roy,Jonas,
So right, yet it didn’t stifle our football prowess going forward. Hope it’s the end of seeing us bang our two Centre-Backs in the oppositions box for set pieces, only one please. What amazed me on the highlights was Brunts box to box run terrific, also Thomas’s “Hit the post” thunderbolt. Playing like this we can aim at fifth spot as the “Gooners” are shot.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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It was an all round team performance, but it raises a number of questions which have often failed to be answered by the Baggies.
No matter the coach, team selection, tactics, etc historically Albion can ‘surprise’ the top teams but falter against the lesser clubs; why is this our legacy?
Does ‘the lack of expectation’ bring the best out of the Albion; whereas the opposite hangs like a stone around their neck?
In a sense the Albion from Hodgson downwards knew what to expect from a skillful team such as Man City, but its the likes of Swansea, Stoke or Wigan who leave them making it up as they go along and often getting it wrong as a consequence… Just a thought I’ll throw out there …
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Firstly i must say,what a superb team performance.I can not remeber ever of being so proud of us after a 0-0.
1.JACK,5th would be stunning,but i think 8th or 9th is more realistic.I hope you are proved right though!
2,Baggiebob,i take your point.but this season we have beaten “lesser sides”,in bolton and blackburn.As for stoke,i doubt i will live long enough to see us beat them,and i am only 44 !
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(3)
New Broseley,
Regarding Stoke, remember Blackburn and Newcastle mate, I wouldn’t put anything past this squad. Look at the injuries we have sustained and we are still good value for money. Wood, Berahino, Dawson, Thorne…. are chiseling out their careers and some are now knocking on the door.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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JACK.yeah,villa park win too,all 3 were superb results.With stoke though it just never seems to go our way.I was there when we beat them 6-0 and martyn bennett scored,playing his last game.Since then weve managed just 1 win.This year we were so unlucky,we deserved a result,but their curse just hit us.Again though,i hope you are correct.
Those 4 kids look great prospects,i would add Elford alliyu to that list too.Hurst too,who at shrewsbury is getting rave reviews.
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Baggiebob: you raise a very interesting point re legacy. There are some clubs that historically you know are always going to try and play with a bit of verve e.g. Tottenham, West Ham, and Newcastle, others that will always rely on dour defence as their first resort. I think that’s why some managers don’t always make successful transits to other clubs. Historically the only club I can think of who have made a volte face are Arsenal. And other clubs just seem to carry on in a dull predictable manner e.g Aston Villa. Glad to be a Baggie fan, though.
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legacy, superstition and hodoos, call it what u want, in our case its which albion will turn up, personally i think its tactics (the manager) and of course the 11 on the pitch (desire), the last 3 games unbelieveable, fantastic, a decent run, but the wigan game lets not forget!! i also think the refs play a massive part in it, and unfortunately they usually cave in against the albion, but a new year on the horizon , hope it brings more brilliant performances and less crap desicions, boing boing
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(7)
Sid,
I love the ALBION that has turned up for the last three matches mate.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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Bogey Teams. No such thing is there? So is it a collective thing where we take our jitters with us and transmit them to the players?
OK then, why is it that if a queue seizes up in the supermarket, it’s always the one I’m in? I have spent my life in electrics, electronics and sciences. There ain’t no such thing as luck. Is there?
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9 cyrille u make your own m8
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