Curtain call for Steve Clarke as Cardiff add West Brom's woes - match analysis

By Matt Maher

In the 57th minute, with the game scoreless, Gareth McAuley fired at goal only to see his shot blocked on the line by the Chile midfielder.

Eight minutes later Peter Whittingham thumped home the header which sent Cardiff above Albion in the table and Clarke hurtling towards the exit door.

The Scot must have felt everything was conspiring against him when, in the closing minutes, David Marshall shifted his momentum in an instant to dive left and somehow claw a Shane Long header round the post.

Earlier, Long had again been at the centre of the action when he tumbled under a clumsy challenge from Bluebirds defender Ben Turner.

Howard Webb, the man who denied Clarke's side what appeared a blatant penalty at Stoke a few weeks ago, again waved away the appeals. On such moments are games won and lost. On such moments do head coaches get the sack.

But to paint Clarke as being unlucky is wrong.

It ignores the evidence of the past 12 months. It ignores his failure to get the most out of the signings he battled for over the summer. And it also ignores the fact that, aside from those three fleeting moments, his final game in charge saw his team produce another hopelessly drab and limp display.

Ultimately, they were beaten by a side who simply wanted to win it more.

Clarke, making perhaps the correct assumption a draw would buy more time, had his team set up not to lose.

In the first half Albion, were unadventurous, lacked pace on the break and failed to register a goal-scoring attempt of note.

McAuley's chance aside, they only really clicked into gear when they fell a goal behind.

Even then, Marshall's wonder save off Long was his first real action of the game.

It may be true his opposite number Boaz Myhill also had little to do in a match which, for large part, was lacking in quality.

But in contrast to Albion, Cardiff buzzed around from the first whistle, laying siege to the visiting goal in the opening minutes.

The Baggies might have weathered the storm but it was always the hosts who looked more incisive and in Craig Noone they possessed a player who was always willing to take on his man and proved a tormentor for Liam Ridgewell, who struggled for much of the game.

Albion did at least have Long, the man they nearly sold in August, who ran himself into the ground and could not have done much more with his late header.

His subsequent substitution, seconds after Marshall's save, raised eyebrows. Across the rest of the attacking line, things were less positive.

Morgan Amalfitano blew hot and cold, while skipper Chris Brunt failed to impose himself and his set piece delivery left a lot to be desired.

But most disappointing of all was Sessegnon, who aside from a couple of efforts from distance which sailed well off target struggled to make much of an impact.

He, along with absent duo Victor Anichebe and Nicolas Anelka, has largely failed to reproduce the form which first attracted the attentions of Albion and has undoubtedly helped contribute to Clarke's exit.

The irony of Peter Odemwingie being on the opposing side in what turned out to be Clarke's final game has of course been lost on no-one. While the Nigeria international hardly gave a vintage performance, he did have a spark which Albion lacked.

Perhaps if Scott Sinclair had started, things might have been different.

The on-loan Manchester City star certainly added some much needed drive following his introduction on the closing stages.

Saido Berahino too added another dimension, even if his only shot during the period got closer to the linesman than it did the goal.

Clarke's failure to give the youngster more playing time in recent weeks will no doubt be focused on in the coming days as the aftermath of his exit is assessed.

There were bright spots in other areas, not least at right-back where Billy Jones linked up well with Amalfitano and did well defensively, up to the point he was beaten in the air by Whittingham at the game's decisive moment.

Jones had stood strong with the rest of Albion's defence in the opening minutes as Cardiff started like a train and threatened to snatch an early lead.

Odemwingie, booed by the away contingent every time he touched the ball, had the first shot on target with a free-kick he and Whittingham seemed to strike simultaneously.

Myhill pushed the shot behind and, from the corner, Kevin Theophile-Catherine saw a shot blocked by Youssouf Mulumbu before Medel fizzed an effort inches over the bar.

Home supporters and players then screamed in unison for a penalty when Claudio Yacob appeared to handle but referee Webb correctly adjudged the Albion man was being fouled by his opposite number.

Having weathered the early storm, the onus was on Albion to start pushing forward but they failed to do so.

Time after time attacks broke down on the edge of the box, or passes were misplaced.

The biggest danger in the Cardiff box was of their own making, when Turner and Marshall almost got mixed up over a backpass on which Albion couldn't capitalise.

Instead it was the hosts who began pressing again and Jones saved an almost certain goal.

He nipped in front of Whittingham to clear what looked like a simple tap-in, before the visitors got another let off when defender Steven Caulker bundled a far post chance wide from eight yards.

It wasn't until 10 minutes into the second period Albion finally began to stir.

McAuley was denied by Medel, while the disappointing Sessegnon volleyed awkwardly over from distance as he began to have some sort of impact.

But then Whittingham scored and Cardiff's victory suddenly felt inevitable as the dark clouds gathered in south Wales.

Albion, more urgent now, pushed forward as the increasingly nervous hosts began to drop deeper and deeper. You knew the chance would come but when it did Marshall was equal to it.

The final whistle brought boss from the away following, arguments with stewards and later angry calls to radio phone-ins.

Clarke, more curt and snappy than usual in his post-match interviews, wore the look of a man who wondered what might be coming next and spoke of Hull and his desire to end this terrible run.

But as he uttered those words, it was already decided he wouldn't get the chance.