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Friday, January 2, 2015
Baggies Take Down Swansea, 2-1
Posted on January 2, 2015 at 07:45 PM.

West Bromwich Albion came into Swansea's Liberty Stadium flying high and Saturday's action did nothing to stop that feeling, as they clipped the Swans' wings and sent them away in defeat, 2-1.


Even though the day ended well for the Baggies, the first half did not start out well at all. The Swans cut off all of the probing from Chris Brunt, who started the match at the center attacking midfield slot. The few questions he asked, they answered superbly. The scoring opened at the 15 minute mark as center back Craig Dawson was called for a very curious foul near the goal line, earning Wilfried Bony a penalty kick. Bony powered a kick into the right side of the goal, barely above the outstretched glove of keeper Ben Foster.


Bony releases his penalty kick

The rest of the first half went relatively quietly and the score at the half was 1-0 Swansea. As the second half started, West Brom started to show more flair offensively and started finally to test Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski. The Baggies finally erased the deficit at the 53 minute mark after a beautiful effort from Saido Berahino. He brought the ball up the right flank, deked to the right, then jetted to the front of the net and curved the ball into the far corner of the net past Fabianski.


Berahino also technically has credit for the winner, although it was pretty much put in by Swansea center back Federico Fernandez. At the 63 minute mark, he unleashed a wicked shot that Lukasz Fabianski was able to barely get his left foot on. The ball caromed high over the crossbar and came down just in front of the goal line. Fernandez was hurrying back to cover the goal and ended up inadvertently knocking the ball into his own net. It probably could have been tallied as an own goal, but perhaps the hometown crew didn't want to penalize Fernandez for his effort.

Man of the Match: Craig Gardner

Even though Gardner didn't notch a goal, he was simply all over the field making tackles and cutting off Swansea attempts at goal through the middle, especially in the second half.

West Brom returns home to the Hawthorns for their next match against Everton.
West Brom's debut under Alan Irvine was not very impressive as they fell in defeat to Sunderland, who in all truthfulness will be hard pressed to avoid relegation this year. There was already a bit of pressure on Irvine to put together a starting XI that would create more offense. The result was not exactly an offensive explosion, but Irvine can be properly hailed for subbing out the underachieving Saido Berahino for Silvestre Varela.

Varela's inclusion in the lineup was made almost definite for the Baggies' next match as his 33rd minute goal was positively breathtaking. He took the ball from right back Andre Wisdom and jetted down the right wing, blowing by three different Southampton defenders en route to beating keeper Fraser Forster on the short side of the goal.


Other than Varela's wonderstrike, the West Brom effort was fairly pedestrian. They picked up three yellow cards in the first half with Sebastien Pocognoli, Chris Brunt, and Youssouf Mulumbu all finding their way into the book. The match was very evenly contested with neither side really asserting themselves and taking hold of control.


The Baggies' next match takes them to Swansea's Liberty Stadium to take on Swansea City. The Swans have had little luck thus far this season, falling to Manchester United 2-1 on Opening Day and only managing a draw versus the newly promoted Burnley in their last match. The West Brom defenders will have to pay special attention to striker Wilfried Bony, who has notched 2 of Swansea's 3 goals thus far this season.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
West Bromwich Albion had a quite inauspicious debut under Alan Irvine's tutelage, falling to Sunderland, 1-0. They did not have much offense to speak of, only amassing 3 shots on goal. However, their opponents only got one shot on goal the whole match but made theirs count. The Black Cats capitalized on a Sebastian Larsson shot from the end of the box at the 39 minute mark and the Baggies couldn't muster any sustained offensive pressure the whole match.

The fact that underlined the Baggies' offensive ineptitude more than any other is that their only corner was very late in the game at the 85 minute mark. It was parried away after a weak floating kick from Chris Brunt. Ben Foster had the best game of any of the Baggies, with the goal by Larsson the only blemish on his potentially clean sheet.





West Brom's next match is a trip down south to Southampton. Can the Baggies turn things around at St. Mary's Stadium, or will the Saints march over the Baggies to victory?
Wednesday, December 24, 2014


Alan Irvine has some decisions to make in formulating his starting XI for the season's first match versus Sunderland. His squad put up a 1-2-0 record in three friendlies, falling in defeat to both Lazio and Eintracht Frankfurt but ending the friendly slate with a 4-1 smashing of Genoa. Let's break it down by position.

GOALKEEPER - Ben Foster


Foster is the undisputed first choice keeper, seeing action in the first two friendlies. Although backup Boaz Myhill was in goal for the Baggies' win against Genoa, Foster will be between the posts versus Sunderland.

CENTERBACKS - Jonas Olsson & Joleon Lescott

Olsson will be one of the starting centerbacks by virtue of his captaincy, but word is that Irvine may have a short leash with him because of his ill-advised challenges that resulted in him being booked twice in the preseason - a yellow against Genoa and a red against Lazio after only 20 minutes of play. Lescott will probably grab the other spot due to his strong effort against Genoa. Craig Dawson started the other two friendlies, but his performance was middling at best and he himself was booked against Frankfurt.

FULLBACKS - Sebastien Pocognoli & Andre Wisdom

Pocognoli wasn't exactly setting the world on fire during the preseason, but Irvine will probably want to show off his new signing from Hannover 96. Wisdom, a Liverpool loanee, was impressive in the preseason, showing good passing skills and linking up nicely with Saido Berahino on multiple occasions.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS - Craig Gardner & Claudio Yacob

Craig Gardner was impressive in his first action with the Baggies and his performance should earn his a match against his former club, Sunderland. He scored a goal only 6 minutes into the match with Genoa and was impressive throughout. Yacob is the main beneficiary of first choice Youssouf Malumbu's sprained ankle that he suffered at Frankfurt. Malumbu's ankle is showing improvement and he will be on the bench for this match, but Irvine will probably start with the healthy Yacob.

WINGERS - Chris Brunt & Saido Berahino

Chris Brunt might have taken a seat in favor of the impressive Silvestre Varela, but Irvine will likely opt for experience over Varela's youth. Varela was impressive as a 65th minute substitute versus Genoa, netting two goals in less than a half hour of playing time. Brunt may need to perform impeccably to stave off Varela. Berahino has no such concerns, showing great pace and a nose for the goal in the preseason. He would have scored a beautiful goal against Genoa were it not for Brown Ideye's offside position.

CENTER ATTACKING MIDFIELDER - Graham Dorrens

Before the match against Genoa, it would have been Stephane Sessegnon in this spot but Dorrens played flawlessly in the Baggies' win, notching three assists.

STRIKER - Victor Anichebe

While Brown Ideye showed flashes of brilliance in the preseason, Anichebe was the only striker to actually net a goal. This alone should give him the nod over Ideye and the unimpressive newcomer Georgios Samaras, who only saw 20 minutes of mop-up duty against Frankfurt.

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