Terry Wills is a slightly apprehensive Albion fan.
What was that I intimated last week? Surely we can’t lose another home game?
Well we could, and yet again did, thanks to the now ingrained repetitive mistakes that are so apparently deeply embedded they refuse to go away whenever we play at Hoodoo Hawthorns.
This time it was newly promoted Swansea City digging in the knife courtesy of a familiar 2-1 defeat to add to their 3-0 home win enabling them to register their first Greed League double. And let no one say they didn’t deserve the three points. As expected their now recognised style of passing football meant they enjoyed the majority of possession and created situations that saw Albion desperately hoping they didn’t take advantage of some very slack marking, while their two goals effectively highlighted our defensive inadequacies.
But for all that, and it may sound contradictory, we shouldn’t have lost. Numerous chances were created and scorned with their keeper being forced to pick the ball out the net more than once, especially after Fortune had opened the scoring, Too many players were way below their best, in particular Youssouf Mulumbu and Peter Odemwingie, and the crowd’s reception at the final whistle left them in no doubt that supporters who had dithered and shivered all afternoon felt VERY let down.
On to this week and a Sunday Crunchtime at Lunchtime encounter at Molineux to face a Wolves side boosted by that unexpected win away at Loftus Road. It took them out of the bottom three, narrowed the gap between them and ourselves to five points, and despite the never ending criticism of Mick McCarthy, should they reverse one of Albion’s only two wins at the Hawthorns, they would only be two points behind – uncomfortable. And when taking into account our next games just happen to be at home to very much in form Sunderland, followed by Chelsea (not so good as expected but still dangerous), then a current Wayne Rooney inspired away trip to Manchester United, the consequences are clear to see and hard to ignore.
Yes our away record IS little short of astonishing but logically we cannot expect this to carry on indefinitely. Wolves will be flat out to prove to their supporters that they can repeat last season’s win so rest assured they’ll be going flat out from the kick off backed by old gold and black fans, who whenever seeing a blue and white Baggies shirt in opposition leave no doubt they are most unwelcome.
Prospects? Very difficult to give a definitive answer as the injury situation is still a problem for Roy Hodgson. A fit Shane Long would be a bonus while the prospect of seeing new boys Liam Ridgwell and Keith Andrews has to be considered likely. Can we continue this impressive away record, or can Wolves win the one game that’s so very important to them?
For me and many Albion fans a point would be acceptable but a defeat? No prizes should the worst happen.
Come on you Baggies.