Sports Babble - sports forum

Two spineless showings back to back have all but ended hopes of automatic promotion, and as we enter the last quarter of the season, it's now all about getting across the line to guarantee a playoff place. A handful of wins should be enough, and we begin with consecutive home games against Ipswich and Swansea.

Expectation will be high for a positive showing on Saturday after a diabolical performance at Elland Road, and though bottom side Ipswich can't be written off, Albion have to be looking for three points to get back on track. Swansea may well prove a tougher nut, but with the worst of the pressure off the players, hopefully they can deliver in both games. Resurrect our home form, finish the season strongly, and there may yet be hope.

Darrens turn to redeem himself, all change with a 4 - 5 - 1 set up with Gayle through the middle and a 3 - 0 win

Johnstone
Holgate Bartley Hegazi Gibbs
Phillips Morrison Harper Field Johansen
Gayle

Bond, Brunt, Tosin, Edwards, JRod, Murphy, HRK (Hoolahan/Townsend/Mears/Leko)
Dropped/rested Dawson Barry Livermore

I'd love to see Bond get a game - he seemed good in the Cup. I suppose there's a hierarchy, though.

90 points and automatic promotion has annoyingly been possible all along, but there’s no chance now. Home games are now a nightmare and we’ve got Brentford and Derby away still to come. If we do make the play-offs, I think I’d rather finish 5th or 6th and get the home leg out of the way first and then just go all-out in the second leg. But with Albion who knows? One small consolation is we’re still miles better than the Villa, who hopefully won’t even make the play-offs.

I think given our recent results, 3 may'be 4 points is probably the best we should/could hope for! Personally anything less than 6 against poor to mediocre opposition is a bare minimum!! I've always said play offs was always our aim and having watched the 2 Utd's, we aint good enough for automatic! I do hope there is a reaction and DM shoves a rocket up their ar$e$ and gets the desired affect.

COYB

This is a make or break pair of games. 6 points should be the expectation along with solid performances.

But I fear we will be exceptional in one and a total shambles in the other, such is the inconsistency of Albion.

It’s so depressing to see the club fail, again, so so many levels.

We get a wealthy owner and he’s a total f@ck wit.

We get a manager the fans adore but, unlike Solskjaer at Man Utd, he seems confused and unable to get the team playing consistently at a high level.

Our assistant manager came from a World Cup success but seems to be showing that the skill in that Belgium management duo was lop sided and not in his favour.

Why oh why don’t we get that moment in the sun, I’m 60 this year. I’m running out of patience and time to see Albion win a cup, be in Europe and sit on top of the Premier League.

Stairs, I think with modern football the way it is you would be exceptionally lucky if we manage one of those three, I think two of them are pretty much beyond 86 of the league clubs, although the third leads to the second if it's the FA cup you win, otherwise you mightt get an overnight stay or even a couple of hours on top the pile, maybe a brief European tour, having said that Boro managed a one season whistle stop tour that nearly brought glory. The dingles may scrape into the other European competition this year, I hope ...... not.
I am 53 this year, not old enough to remember any real silverware and too old to see any that may come in the future ...... if there is a future for real clubs and real fans.

Holgate - Hegazi - Gibbs all out and no defenders on the bench?
Tosin LB today, not sure if I like that with Phillips supporting.
Lets hope our midfield is strong enough to contain them or it maybe another 3 points down the drain.

Bad feeling about this