West Ham United v West Brom: Opportunity knocks for a real test
Steep tests against West Ham and Southampton can give Albion a measure of how far they have come in a short space of time.
The next few days could tell us a lot about the direction Albion are headed.
James Morrison takes his side to the eagerly-anticipated clash at West Ham United on Saturday, a few days before Southampton visit The Hawthorns on Tuesday night.
Baggies fans have not visited the London Stadium for almost seven years, where the recently-returned Conor Townsend settled an FA Cup fourth round tie with a rasping strike as Slaven Bilic got one over his former employers.
Saturday’s hosts, under former Wolves chief Nuno Espirito Santo, were favourites for an immediate return to the Premier League before a ball was kicked this season.
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Not too much has changed.
The Irons’ start has been a little mixed but mostly positive given the vicious unknowns lurking in the Championship.
Nuno’s men sit just two places and one point above Morrison’s Baggies, however, after 12 games. Both clubs have won six of their dozen league contests, which probably says more about the start Albion have enjoyed than their hosts.
West Ham’s ranks are littered with very recent Premier League experience with the quality to win any Championship fixture, and of course spearheaded by talismanic skipper Jarrod Bowen, who has far too much ability to be playing in this division.
But these two clashes arrive at a perfect time for an ideal 12-game yardstick for head coach Morrison, who will relish the tests.
The message probably won’t be needed, but the Baggies boss will have told his troops that these are the fixtures you want to play in.
Albion’s bright start has the mood in a good place. Momentum and confidence in the dressing room will not be lacking and Morrison’s side feel reasonably well-equipped to test one of the division’s top brass.
Looking ahead slightly, a strong Southampton team have started well after the ‘Spygate’ scandal that rocked football in the spring. But for the four-point deduction to start the season Tonda Eckert’s side would be second. The German boss was, in the eyes of many, fortunate to keep his job after the fallout.
Many would predict West Ham and Saints to be battling it around the automatic positions in the months ahead.
Morrison will be intrigued as to how his new-look side, full of inexperience at this level and young players, can trouble both.
London Stadium attendances of 60,000-plus are also in West Ham’s favour. Or potentially not.
An expectant home crowd is something Morrison will implore his players to try to turn on the hosts.
If Albion can start brightly, and reduce Nuno’s side to very little, then an inpatient West Ham crowd will begin to groan.
That is a big ‘if’ as things stand, given Albion have conceded first in their last six games. That trend has to be bucked in the next two.
Such an occasion can quickly turn sour for the hosts if the Baggies can show they are in business, much like last weekend’s fixture at the London Stadium, against Southampton.
The Saints put it on West Ham with a fantastic start and powered 2-0 up inside 11 minutes and 3-1 inside 34 minutes. The clash was effectively over.
A Baggies following of 3,000 will hope their side can startle West Ham. These tests may reveal plenty.
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