Express & Star

West Brom comment: Super skipper Jake Livemore shining bright for Albion

In a season so far packed with shining lights, one has often shone brighter than most - although it's often gone unnoticed.

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Jake Livermore (AMA)

Jake Livermore has been through his fair share of struggles at Albion since he joined the club in 2017.

After joining in the midsts of one of the Baggies' better seasons in the top flight, the former Hull man was forced to endure the pain of relegation a season later with Albion finishing bottom of the pile.

Livermore played a starring role in the late bid to secure survival under Darren Moore - scoring THAT memorable winner against Spurs at The Hawthorns which got fans believing that survival could be more than a pipe dream.

Jake Livermore scored the goal which had Baggies fans dreaming of a second great escape (AMA)

From elation to devastation, Albion were of course relegated just three days later.

But under Alan Pardew, the man who often sees the finger pointed in his direction in regard to the club's fall into the second tier, Livermore endured possibly his toughest time in the Black Country - albeit on a trip more than 1000 miles away.

Named as one of the infamous 'Cab Four' - Livermore was one of the four players allegedly involved in taking a taxi in the early hours of the morning during an ill-fated team bonding trip to Barcelona.

The midfielder, alongside other senior figures in Gareth Barry, Boaz Myhill and then-captain Jonny Evans, was fined two weeks' wages, but serious questions arose over his, and his teammates', future at the club.

Evans headed off for pastures new following relegation, Myhill continued to play the back-up role between the sticks - but Barry and Livemore were in the limelight for the Baggies the following year.

Both central midfielders played key roles over the course of the Baggies' season, although Livermore had seen questions raised about his discipline on the pitch. He notched two red cards and 10 yellows over the season. Nor did he feature in any of Albion's last six games, when things really mattered and the Baggies' season was defined.

Livermore was forced to watch on as his side saw their promotion hopes torn to shreds in the cruelest of ways - losing in a penalty shoot-out at home to bitter rivals, Aston Villa.

But following Slaven Bilic's appointment, Albion's previously questionable man in the middle has since become Mr. Reliable. Someone entrusted with the captain's armband on a permanent basis who now sees 90 minutes on the pitch more often than not - and does so with an understated leadership quality too.

He's not the guy scoring the goals. He's not the guy laying on the assists. He's not even the guy making last ditch defensive tackles to earn applause from all four corners of The Hawthorns.

Livermore is the man leading by example in the heart of the midfield. He's the man giving license to Matheus Pereira, Grady Diangana and Matt Phillips to bomb forward to get fans in the Smethwick End on their feet in anticipation. He's the combative and powerful presence giving Albion the muscle alongside the slender frame of Romaine Sawyers as he picks yet another killer pass through the lines. In short, Livermore's doing the dirty work which allows Albion to shine that little bit brighter.

Livermore is the engine to the Albion machine, breaking up play to allow others to shine.

That's not to say he hasn't offered up moments of brilliance which helps to get his team over the line. He netted in the home win over Blackburn with a quality finish, and then scored the worldy against his former club to ensure Albion left the north-east with all three points as they continued to show the Championship why they're the team to be feared this year.

The goals are great, but Livermore is the understated performer in this Baggies team that right now looks destined for the Premier League, even in the midst of a mid-season blip which has stopped them stretching their lead further.

Questions were asked about his size at points last season. The midfielder has trimmed down to cut a more mobile and dynamic presence in the middle of the park - it's noticeable just how big an impact that has played on his performances this season.

Passes he wouldn't reach last season are now being cut out with apparent ease, attacking midfielders have less time to survey their options when they receive the ball, Livermore is the man snuffing out embers before they catch alight in Albion's half.

That hasn't gone unnoticed in the stands, and it hasn't gone unnoticed in the dugout either, with Bilic one of the first to hail his skipper.

Jake Livermore of West Bromwich Albion. (AMA)

"Jake has been fantastic from the first game," Bilic told the gathered press following the win over Hull back at the start of November.

"He’s a top professional, a top player, and it’s a privilege for me as a manager to have him on the pitch.

"He’s a captain, he’s a leader."

It's worth remembering come May, should the Baggies secure promotion to the Premier League or not - whilst Pereira, Diangana, Sawyers and Phillips are the players providing the flair, they do so on the base Livermore has built for them...