Lewis Cox's West Brom analysis: First bump in road offers Baggies new chance to respond
Albion will play worse than they did against Derby on Saturday and win games this season.
Head coach Ryan Mason knows as much and that was his assessment after the Rams spoiled The Hawthorns' 125th birthday party with their smash-and-grab 1-0 win.
There are no shortage of Baggies supporters who ventured to the Shrine for the special occasion in slightly wary mood given the nature of the opponents and the very fact it was an occasion of significance or celebration.
The theme with Albion and the big occasion generally ends in disappointment, or it has in recent years.
Factor in Derby and their head coach John Eustace have Albion's number and it was clear to see why some did not fancy a positive result to mark a century-and-a-quarter of the club's great home.
There is an "Albion that" phrase that summarises 'typical Albion' among supporters and you cannot get much more "Albion that" than a veteran former striker emerging from the bench to snatch the unjust late winner.
And all of this played out to the letter as Andi Weimann, the 34-year-old former Villa youngster who spent six months as a Baggie in the first half of 2024, converted a smart reverse finish for the victory six minutes from time.
It sealed Derby's sixth straight victory over Albion - and second already this season. Eustace, the former Kidderminster Harriers and Birmingham boss, has six wins and a draw from seven games facing the Baggies as a manager. As reported at the time, it is believed he held interest in replacing Carlos Corberan in The Hawthorns hotseat when the Spaniard left last Christmas.
