25-02-2015, 18:14
And so begins the week which may define our season. Before back-to-back matches against Aston Villa which could see us compound their relegation woes and make it to the cup semi-final at their expense (or, nightmarishly, hand them a lifeline and send them to Wembley), we take on high-flying but out-of-form Southampton side knowing that a win will lift us clear of the dogfight and give us the best possible springboard for the double-derby.
I wouldn't blame anyone for having their mind on the games ahead this weekend, but Tony and the boys need to concentrate on this one. For us, right now, every game counts.
![[Image: Jon_Voight_Transformers.jpg]](http://s10.postimg.org/oiyzi2jmx/Jon_Voight_Transformers.jpg)
For Saints, it's looking like another season where high hopes will be rent asunder against the rocks of Premier League financial "fair play". They're out-moneyed and increasingly out-gunned by the traditional big boys of the league, and though they may yet take the race for fourth place to the wire (and best of luck to them), the odds aren't looking great. Koeman's Southampton - in contrast to Pochettino's - are very much built on a base of keeping clean sheets; recently, that hasn't been happening quite so often, and the goals are drying up too. One goal in their last four matches doesn't paint the rosiest of pictures up front, and you'd hope that our well-drilled defence can keep that run going a little bit longer.
Still, Saints' recent fortunes on the road have been better than those at St Mary's - the familiar pressure of expectation perhaps removed - so there's plenty for Albion to worry about. That said, we know the Pulis strategy is to target the home games for points, so ideally, another performance like the ones against Swansea and West Ham is what we want. It was a little concerning last week to see Saido have an off-day after a typical Cattermole clatter, and Ideye regress to being the gentle giant we nearly shipped out; I'm hoping it was a one-off, because we need these boys right on form in the coming matches.
Would I take a draw? Absolutely. Would a defeat be the end of the world? Absolutely not. Do I want us to rout Southampton so comprehensively that Tim Sherwood rings us up in floods of tears to forfeit the next two matches in advance, before agreeing to relocate Aston Villa to a small farm in Swaziland and legally change his name to "Timid Timmy Trembly Trousers"? You'd better believe it.
I wouldn't blame anyone for having their mind on the games ahead this weekend, but Tony and the boys need to concentrate on this one. For us, right now, every game counts.
Our special guest this Saturday will be Ronald Koeman's future self, who's travelled back from 2040 to warn us all of the terrible carnage being wreaked by a robotic Sepp Blatter.
For Saints, it's looking like another season where high hopes will be rent asunder against the rocks of Premier League financial "fair play". They're out-moneyed and increasingly out-gunned by the traditional big boys of the league, and though they may yet take the race for fourth place to the wire (and best of luck to them), the odds aren't looking great. Koeman's Southampton - in contrast to Pochettino's - are very much built on a base of keeping clean sheets; recently, that hasn't been happening quite so often, and the goals are drying up too. One goal in their last four matches doesn't paint the rosiest of pictures up front, and you'd hope that our well-drilled defence can keep that run going a little bit longer.
Still, Saints' recent fortunes on the road have been better than those at St Mary's - the familiar pressure of expectation perhaps removed - so there's plenty for Albion to worry about. That said, we know the Pulis strategy is to target the home games for points, so ideally, another performance like the ones against Swansea and West Ham is what we want. It was a little concerning last week to see Saido have an off-day after a typical Cattermole clatter, and Ideye regress to being the gentle giant we nearly shipped out; I'm hoping it was a one-off, because we need these boys right on form in the coming matches.
Would I take a draw? Absolutely. Would a defeat be the end of the world? Absolutely not. Do I want us to rout Southampton so comprehensively that Tim Sherwood rings us up in floods of tears to forfeit the next two matches in advance, before agreeing to relocate Aston Villa to a small farm in Swaziland and legally change his name to "Timid Timmy Trembly Trousers"? You'd better believe it.
Classic Match
West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Southampton
Football League, First Division: 27th September 1980
A good season, this was. When he gets the ball he's bound to score, Ally, Ally Brown!
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley
