By Terry Wills.
So the three non-event matches, England v Wales and Ghana plus Scotland v Brazil, have come and gone. And what did they prove (?) apart from, based on TV watching, that Wales and Scotland are as far behind the Three Lions as England are from the dazzling Brazilians!
Still it underlined one thing – when Liverpool and their “Never Walk Alone” Kop fans descend on the Hawthorns on Saturday they’ll surely see a far more competitive game. The Pool will be anxious to carry on their upsurge under Kenny Dalglish, while Baggies fans are hoping, if indeed not praying, that Roy Hodgson’s unbeaten record will extend to five.
Prospects? Well based on the Merseryside’s overall record against Albion, should we manage to increase our points total, by one, or amazingly by three, it would have to be considered a successful afternoon. But should we lose, particularly if the clutch of clubs also in potential relegation trouble win, it will mean another week of waiting and wondering where we’ll be watching our football next season.
Naturally, team selection has to be taken into consideration. Albion will be hoping that injuries, which have been numerous, have eased during the international break and that the likes of Peter Odemwingie will be fit to play for 90 minutes.
Despite the praise being heaped on Roy Hodgson’s shoulders he’s remaining his natural cautious self. “We’ll take every game as it comes, do our best and hope that at the end of the season it’s been enough”
And you can’t do more than that can you?
