West Bromwich Albion: Can The Baggies Bounce Back Into The Top Half?

2012/2013: 8th

Transfer(s) In: Matej Vydra (Udinese, Loan), Diego Lugano (Paris Saint Germain, Free), Nicolas Anelka (Shanghai Shenhua, Free), Goran Popov (Dinamo Kiev, Loan), Scott Sinclair (Manchester City, Loan), Victor Anichebe (Everton, £5 Million), Stephane Sessegnon (Sunderland, £6 Million), Morgan Amalfitano (Marseille, Loan)

Transfer(s) Out: Marc-Antoine Fortune, Gonzalo Jara, Jerome Thomas (Released), Peter Odemwingie (Cardiff City, £2 Million)

Transfers Review:

                                            West Brom are in the very fortunate position this season of being able to make only a couple of changes to a squad that has proven to be highly successful in the Premier League, finishing in an all time high of 8th. If we look at the predictions that I made at the end of the season, I said that a central defender and a more creative wide player would be required, citing Ryan Shawcross and Scott Sinclair as potential targets. Whilst Shawcross was never talked about as a target in reality, they certainly filled that position with Lugano. The addition of Scott Sinclair certainly fill that void of a winger. As I stated in my review post, I think he would add a lot to West Brom, and they would be doing him a favour by playing him regularly.

                                              In terms of who they have brought in thus far this summer, they have a good mix of youth and experience. The major loss to the Baggies happened up front, with the in form Romelu Lukaku returning to his parent club Chelsea. After such an excellent season on loan to West Brom, they will miss his strength and goals. In order to replace those goals, Clarke moved quickly to bring in the ex Bolton, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka. His experience will inevitably be as valuable as his goals, especially when considering the young striker he has signed since. Matej Vydra, after a fantastic goalscoring season on loan from Udinese, has been loaned in again. I have no doubt about his ability to step up, and with a partner in the form of Anelka, he will learn much from the Baggies. Similarly, in central defence, the more experienced Diego Lugano, who is quite a capture for West Brom, being the Uruguayan national captain, will train the young centre-back Popov. I full expect all to be important in West Brom's season.

Pre-Season:

                                              West Brom began their pre-season preparations with a friendly match in Hannover, a match that ended with a 2-1 defeat. Bearing in mind that this Hannover side was recently playing European football, this cannot be considered a complete disaster. The Baggies then took part in three further matches during the month of July, giving themselves little time to rest or recuperate. They began with an exhibition game against a Puskas FC Academy XI, which they dominated from start to finish, with a comfortable margin of victory, winning by 3 goals to 0. Next, they returned to England to face Derby County. Once again, the Premier League side were victorious, though this was by a slimmer margin that they perhaps would have liked, winning only 2-0. They finished July with a home game against Greek side Atromitos. After a poor start, which saw them fall behind to a Karagounis goal, they fought back after the break, with goals from Anelka, Berehino and Rosenberg rounding off a 3-1 victory to keep the Baggies tremendous run of form going.

                                                August proved as busy a month as the one before, with three pre-season games in nine days. However, the period did not start well, with a home loss against Genoa. After just a five day rest, the Baggies travelled to Ireland to take on Cork City Foras. The defeat seemed not to affect the confidence of the players, who turned on the style for their manager. A 6-0 thrashing was handed out to the Irish Premier League side, boosting morale in the West Brom camp. They finished their preparations with a more challenging game against Bologna, and they came away with arguably, an even more impressive result than the one that came before it. A 2-0 win over the Serie A side finished the pre-season tour in the best possible manner, and gave them the perfect pedestal to move into the league season.

Key Players:

                                                  A key player for the Baggies this campaign will undoubtedly be Chris Brunt. The creator of many of West Brom's opportunities last season, the captain will have a crucial role to play once more this year. His deadly delivery from set pieces and his vision with a through ball will make him a vital asset this time around. If they are to repeat last year's heroics, a solid season from their captain will be required.

                                                   If they are to replace Romelu Lukaku's goals, Shane Long will also have a critical role to play. His pace and skill make him a threat to any defence in the Premier League, but he will need to be more clinical when he gets his chances if he is to hit the 15 goal mark.

Key Fixture Dates:

31/08/2013: West Brom vs Swansea
21/09/2013: West Brom vs Sunderland
25/11/2013: West Brom vs Aston Villa
30/11/2013: Newcastle vs West Brom
28/12/2013: West Ham vs West Brom
01/01/2014: West Brom vs Newcastle
28/01/2014: Aston Villa vs West Brom
01/03/2014: Sunderland vs West Brom
15/03/2014: Swansea vs West Brom
26/04/2014: West Brom vs West Ham

Top Goalscorer:

                                                     If Long adds goals to his ability to irritate defences, I am certain that he will claim this accolade. As it is, the experience of Anelka, along with his goalscoring ability, makes me think that the Frenchman will claim it this season. He has scored goals at every club he has been, and while I do not expect him to hit 20 this season, the mid teens is quite possible, especially if the club performs as they did last time around.

Prediction:

                                                      I have a feeling that West Brom have got themselves out of the 'boing boing' mentality now, with the Baggies repeatedly safe from relegation, culminating in the fabulous success of last season. Whether it was a flash in the pan, or the beginning of a push for Europe will only be seen in time. I think that we will see a repeat of their last season form, resulting in them finishing in the same end result.

West Bromwich Albion 2013/2014: 8th

West Bromwich Albion: Bye Bye ‘Boing Boing’?

2012/2013 Season Review:

                With Roy Hodgson having left at the end of the previous campaign to manager England at the Euros, Steve Clarke stepped in at the beginning of this season. He moved quickly in the transfer window, bringing in Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea. Other than this, there was little in the wa of action from the Midlands side in the transfer market. Nevertheless, this piece of business would turn into an inspired acquisition for the Baggies. Clarke couldn’t have wished for a better start to his West Brom managerial career, with a 3-0 home victory over Liverpool in the opening day. Their early season form remained strong, as a draw away at Tottenham, and a victory at home to Everton followed, both of these sides expected to be in the top 6 come the end of the season. A 3-0 defeat at Fulham, and a Capital One Cup exit followed after the international break, perhaps indicating that the Baggies could ill-afford to rest on their laurels.

                After the first Midlands derby against Aston Villa, which ended in a 1-1 stalemate, West Brom’s form was decidedly patchy throughout October, winning the first but then losing the following two games to put Clarke’s men solidly in mid-table. November, on the other hand, was about as close to perfection as it is possible to achieve, with West Brom picking up 4 wins out of their 5 league games, their only failure being away to in-form Swansea. Most noticeable in the Baggies terrific run was their second consecutive home victory over Chelsea, a defeat which saw the ex-West Brom manager Roberto di Matteo removed from his post at Chelsea. However, this form was only temporary, and a four match streak without a win followed.

                After back to back victories against Norwich and QPR either side of Christmas, Clarke’s side then went another 8 games without a win, including going out of the FA Cup at the hands of struggling QPR, and another draw in the return fixture against Aston Villa. After such a promising start, which had seen the Baggies climb as high as 3^rd, their mid-season form was letting them down somewhat, and leaving them perched just inside the top 10. January also saw the club involved in a transfer controversy, as previous season’s top scorer Peter Odemwingie was linked heavily to relegation threatened QPR, and the West Brom hierarchy had demanded he was not for sale. Not too controversial up to this point. However, having made his feelings about a move perfectly clear to the West Brom officials, Odemwingie decided that the best way to convince the board to let him move was to drive from the Midlands down to London on deadline day. The fact that this was all done without the approval of the board got Odemwingie in hot water with both them, and the fans, who regularly booed his appearances thereafter. To make matters worse, the move never materialised, making the whole trip irrelevant.

                The Baggies’ trip to Anfield was seen as a good way to put the Odemwingie fiasco behind them, and rectify their recent poor run of form. Despite being outplayed by Liverpool, West Brom managed to steal a priceless 2-0 win. The subsequent 2-1 win over Sunderland put the Baggies within touching distance of the Liverpudlians, but once again, inconsistency ensured that by the end of March, they sat comfortably in mid-table. Having been assured of safety for some time, there was certainly the temptation to switch off and not press on for their record points tally. To a certain extent, we can see evidence of this, as the Baggies won only 1 of their remaining 7 league games, putting them in a respectable, but improvable 8^th at the end of the campaign.

                Overall, West Brom should be very happy with their performance this season. Too often used to relegation scraps, being known as the ‘boing boing’ club for their regular bouncing between leagues, they will be glad for the stability. However, there should also be a hint of regret and disappointment for what might have been. With such a positive start to the season, the possibility was there to post a very competitive total of points. Hot seasons come around once in a blue moon for clubs like West Brom. We have all seen what happened to Newcastle after last season’s 5^th place finish. I only hope that West Brom can remain as stable next year.

 

Player of the Season: Romelu Lukaku – The big Belgian has been an inspiration at West Brom this season. Having been loaned out in order to get some match practice, the Chelsea man has shown us all what he is capable of. Fantastic strength and clinical finishing are only two aspects to this youngster’s game, and he has the capacity to substantially improve.

 

Game of the Season: West Brom 5-5 Manchester United – After a rather indifferent turn on form towards the back end of the season, West Brom gave the fans a final day to remember with this classic comeback that I am certain will be on every Premier League Classics DVD. Having trailed 4-1 and 5-2, a Romelu Lukaku hat-trick saw the Baggies deny Sir Alex Ferguson a victory on his 1500^th and last game as Manchester United manager.

 

Summer Transfer Targets (What I Think They Need): Losing Lukaku back to Chelsea will inevitably be a loss, but sources suggest that they will attempt to retain their Belgian wonderkid. In terms of positions, West Brom could do with another central defender, and a more creative attacking midfielder. Players like Scott Sinclair and Ryan Shawcross could well be potential targets.

 

Transfer Gossip Links:

In:

Diumerci Mbokani (Anderlecht, ST), Franco Di Santo (Wigan Athletic, ST)

Out:

Jonas Olsson (???, CB), Peter Odemwingie (Hull City, ST), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea, ST), Gonzalo Jara (Released, CM), Jerome Thomas (Released, RM)