Terry Wills witnesses a familiar scenario at the Hawthorns.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place? Try telling that to any Albion fan forced to endure watching for the FOURTH time in this depressing season, the Baggies fail to clinch a priceless three points by squandering a two goal lead.
Apologies. In the latest fiasco they somehow managed to go one better. 3-0 in front of a Tottenham Hotspur team that must have wondered what had hit them early on. So what went wrong? As the song goes “Let’s start at the very beginning.” It’s a very good place to start No argument there. Goals from Matel Vyrda and Chris Brunt within four minutes, followed by Stephane Sessegnon scoring a third after half an hour and it was all systems go.
Even the Baggies couldn’t fail to win this one could they? Fast, attractive, attacking football, led by Vyrda and Sessegnon, allied by Graham Dorrans and a rejuvenated returning Chris Brunt, Spurs didn’t know what was happening. Ben Foster pulled off a double save, Adebayor missed a penalty, yes we HAD to win.
Came what has now become a West Bromwich Albion trademark. Take foot off the pedal, protect the lead, and we’ve won. Spurs came more into the game, sensing that if they could scorethey’d be in with a chance, while Baggies fans had the sickening feeling that should they snatch a goal it would be yet another nail biting afternoon.
It was. Jonas Olsson deflected a shot into his own net and that trepidation was growing, with good cause. Second half and what a transformation. The expensive , talented Spurs team dominated possession and with Pepe Mel making what turned out to be a poor choice of substitutions it was clearly a case of praying we wouldn’t emulate the Cardiff game by conceding another very late added on time goal.
Referee Neil Swarbrick, who’d hadn’t done us any favours, added on six minutes. Enough for Spurs to snatch another heartbreaking equaliser and confirm that the Baggies defence simply isn’t good
enough.
Where do we go from here? From the Greed League back into the Championship or will we do enough to survive? The clutch of clubs in the race to avoid the drop are enjoying mixed results but providing Albion can up points against West Ham, Sunderland, and Stoke, we should just about stay up.
No game on Saturday so it’s a case of waiting and telly watching on Monday to see the margin of defeat against title-chasing Manchester City. Sorry to be so pessimistic but that, coupled with the away game at Arsenal, has, barring a miracle, got to be two defeats. But as is the norm, I can but dream that Pepe Mel will, before almost certainly leaving at season’s end, prove my pessimism is unfounded.
Come on you Baggies.