Terry Wills explains why he was the only unhappy Albion supporter on Saturday.
So just WHY did I leave the Hawthorns with such ‘negative’ feelings? I certainly wasn’t a Liverpool supporter!
Well, let’s go back to Christmas Day 59 years ago – the magical season of 1953-54
An age as far removed from today’s era as a comparison between today’s methods of communication and the invention of the Alexander Graham Bell’s wondrous but now pre-historic telephone! Not to mention a 2-3-5 formation- yes, five forwards. How the game has developed!
The Throstles are at home to Liverpool and in a tremendous display pulverised them 5-0 before playing the Boxing Day game return at Anfield that finished goalless.
Two successive games over the festive period. Somehow I don’t think that today’s multi-million pound players would stand for such stupid fixture planning.
Two goals by Frank Griffin, aided by one apiece for Ronnie Allen, Ray Barlow, and Johnny Nicholls left this, and no doubt other young fans happy at the outcome. Subsequently down the years the results against Liverpool have changed very significantly but back then I never envisaged I’d see West Bromwich Albion exceed those five goals.
Sadly it still hasn’t happened BUT it should have – as last week enough chances were created, and squandered, to make that impossible dream happen. A stunning performance from Steve Clarke’s Baggies left supporters wondering if Roy Hodgson’s old brigade, strengthened by Clarke’s astute signings, could make these sort of results more normal than abnormal?
Yes Liverpool missed early chances, especially by the talented but unpopular Luis Suaraz. But set against these were one of the worst penalty misses anyone could wish to see from Shane Long – the James Morrison, hold your head in your hands miss, plus other scrambles that left Pepe Reina grateful he only had to pick the ball out of the back of his net a mere three times.
Barely a weak link and what a prospect in Claudio Yacob. Excellent tackling an ball distribution (more of the same please Claudio), while on loan Lukaku coming on as a substitute gave a display that bodes well for the future although it will probably be at Stamford Bridge. A Stunning opener from ‘new boy’ Zoltan Gera had everyone leaping to their feet and once the second penalty went in that was it – three points signed sealed and delivered.
I know full well that one swallow doesn’t make a summer, or that a thrashing of Liverpool means we won’t face problems. But being a terminal, cautious, realistic individual (it’s my age), then I think there could well be better times lying in wait.
So on to White Hart Lane and Tottenham Hotspur followed by a visit to sunny Yeovil in the Capital Cup. Spurs will want to pick up their first points of the season and with Steve Clarke hoping to build on the Liverpool win it could be a game to savour.
Can we even consider another convincing performance….?