Terry Wills either looks forward or dreads the Albion’s upcoming home games.
After a week off it’s back to normal for Albion fans, reflecting, with misty eyes, on the tremendous 5-1 hammering of Wolves that left Mick McCarthy and his ex-team wondering what had inspired Roy Hodgson’s Baggies to demolish them in the grand manner.
But time’s moved on and despite that victory happenings at the Hawthorns have had to take a back seat to other local news in the shape of just who will be next in line at Molineux, and the seemingly non-stop march towards the Greed League by Chris Hughton’s Birmingham City.
But news from the Hawthorns, manly on the fitness front, is encouraging. Shane Long is now fully fit (cheers) Chris Brunt has resumed trainings, and even Zoltan Gera has some sort of chance of featuring in the squad before season’s end. However, all of this will count for nowt unless our dreadful, not to say pitiful home record isn’t improved in the next two Hawthorns clashes.
First up are Martin O’Neill’s newly inspired Sunderland with his Mackems putting together a tremendous run to propel them into the top half of the table and into the FA Cup quarter finals. So what are the prospects of actually gaining a point, or three (!?) to take us even further away from the bottom three relegation places that are, despite looking relatively safe at present, still too close for comfort?
For sure IF Albion can duplicate the Molineax victory (strolling to a win that would have beaten far better teams) then there is cause for optimism, and in this context Roy Hodgson has a problem. That is, choosing a team and formation, to send supporters home happy, and not as has been the normal mood, moaning and groaning, asking the usual question “Why ARE we so poor at home and so good away?”
Whoever is given the nod out of Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long to partner the new born Marc-Antoine Fortune, we can only cling to the hope that it will be successful. If so the visit of Chelsea a week on won’t be as daunting especially as the Pensioners, judging from their televised matches, aren’t the team they were.
But that’s for the future. All we can do is wait to see which Albion team does, or doesn’t, trot out at the Hawthorns to either inspire or depress long suffering fans desperately hoping not to see another insipid home display. Forget the – ugh – Swansea performance, remember the unforgettable display at Wolves and we’ll all be happy.
Come on you Baggies.