13-04-2019, 22:22
West Bromwich Albion 4 Gayle 3 Rodriguez Preston North End 1 Robinson
WBA line-up: Johnstone, Gibbs (Townsend, 60), Bartley, Johansen, Livermore (Phillips, 70), Brunt ©, Gayle, Rodriguez, Dawson, Hegazi (Adarabioyo, 52), Holgate. Subs not used: Bond, Robson-Kanu, Harper, Murphy.
PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher, Earl, Ledson, Storey, Davies, Nmecha, Johnson, Stockley (Maguire, 46), Browne (Ginnelly, 86), Gallagher © (Robinson, 41). Subs not used: Crowe, Moult, Rafferty, Ginnelly, Huntington.
Attendance: 25,088 (2,752 PNE fans)
Referee: Mr R East
Whether this game was lost on the off field activities of both clubs is a valid questions, did look like one team playing to impress a new manager whilst the other seemed to have come to the conclusion that their manager was on to pastures new i.e the Hawthorns.
North End were well beaten, looked beaten in the pre match warm up and for vast periods of this game, although until the first went in actually thought we competed pretty well also saying that Albion did have chances Bartley headed into the side netting and Rudd had to race from his goal to deny Johansen who was sent clear by a great clearance by Sam Johnstone.
The goal came out of nothing Brunt's inch perfect 40 yard ball behind Davies was excellent as was Gayle's first time volley was superb, can't stop them.
The second was comedy Josh Earl did really well to initially clear the danger but undid all his work by passing the ball to an Albion player, the ball ended up at Gayle's feet it was two.
Just before half time it was three Johansen's shot was going well wide until if found Rodriguez in space and he easily made it three, points in the bag by Half.
https://youtu.be/_StrKUDVPrs
Second half we gave it a go couldn't really do anything else, Robinson was unlucky when he just failed to connect with the ball at the back post also Nmecha got into good positions but his final ball was wasteful.
Albion increased their lead following a corner given after Gayle's fre kick had been well saved by Rudd, the corner bobbed around the six yard box until Gayle headed home his hat trick goal.
We kept plugging away, Ginnelly came on to mke his North End debut and in the dying embers of the game Robinson forced the ball home from close range after good work by Maguire.
Neil scurried off down the tunnel at the end whether he will be in the Albion dug out next Friday time will tell, needs sorting out ASAP, the supportes deserve better
West Bromwich Albion caretaker manager James Shan on job speculation and performance:
"They [the club] have asked me to look after first-team affairs until further notice and that is where we sit and where I am now.
"After two negative results I was delighted with the performance, the four goals scored and most importantly the three points.
"They (Gayle and Rodriguez) are both fighting it out to be our top goalscorer. I thought that to get our two highest scorers on the pitch was really important.
"Knowing the pair of them, the way that are around the training ground and how competitive they are, being level pegging, it can only bode well for the football club in our remaining fixtures."
On the speculation linking him to the vacant West Brom managerial job Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"I know people have been speaking about speculation and I certainly felt that got to the players today.
"Disappointing for us, we're a really young squad and I think it shows. Not just making decisions on the pitch but also it became a little bit of a pantomime before the game.
I actually saw it in (the players') eyes before the match and that's the disappointing thing. It's not my doing but it has affected them and it's affected our fans which I apologised for. And for that it makes me really frustrated."
WBA line-up: Johnstone, Gibbs (Townsend, 60), Bartley, Johansen, Livermore (Phillips, 70), Brunt ©, Gayle, Rodriguez, Dawson, Hegazi (Adarabioyo, 52), Holgate. Subs not used: Bond, Robson-Kanu, Harper, Murphy.
PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher, Earl, Ledson, Storey, Davies, Nmecha, Johnson, Stockley (Maguire, 46), Browne (Ginnelly, 86), Gallagher © (Robinson, 41). Subs not used: Crowe, Moult, Rafferty, Ginnelly, Huntington.
Attendance: 25,088 (2,752 PNE fans)
Referee: Mr R East
Whether this game was lost on the off field activities of both clubs is a valid questions, did look like one team playing to impress a new manager whilst the other seemed to have come to the conclusion that their manager was on to pastures new i.e the Hawthorns.
North End were well beaten, looked beaten in the pre match warm up and for vast periods of this game, although until the first went in actually thought we competed pretty well also saying that Albion did have chances Bartley headed into the side netting and Rudd had to race from his goal to deny Johansen who was sent clear by a great clearance by Sam Johnstone.
The goal came out of nothing Brunt's inch perfect 40 yard ball behind Davies was excellent as was Gayle's first time volley was superb, can't stop them.
The second was comedy Josh Earl did really well to initially clear the danger but undid all his work by passing the ball to an Albion player, the ball ended up at Gayle's feet it was two.
Just before half time it was three Johansen's shot was going well wide until if found Rodriguez in space and he easily made it three, points in the bag by Half.
https://youtu.be/_StrKUDVPrs
Second half we gave it a go couldn't really do anything else, Robinson was unlucky when he just failed to connect with the ball at the back post also Nmecha got into good positions but his final ball was wasteful.
Albion increased their lead following a corner given after Gayle's fre kick had been well saved by Rudd, the corner bobbed around the six yard box until Gayle headed home his hat trick goal.
We kept plugging away, Ginnelly came on to mke his North End debut and in the dying embers of the game Robinson forced the ball home from close range after good work by Maguire.
Neil scurried off down the tunnel at the end whether he will be in the Albion dug out next Friday time will tell, needs sorting out ASAP, the supportes deserve better
West Bromwich Albion caretaker manager James Shan on job speculation and performance:
"They [the club] have asked me to look after first-team affairs until further notice and that is where we sit and where I am now.
"After two negative results I was delighted with the performance, the four goals scored and most importantly the three points.
"They (Gayle and Rodriguez) are both fighting it out to be our top goalscorer. I thought that to get our two highest scorers on the pitch was really important.
"Knowing the pair of them, the way that are around the training ground and how competitive they are, being level pegging, it can only bode well for the football club in our remaining fixtures."
On the speculation linking him to the vacant West Brom managerial job Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"I know people have been speaking about speculation and I certainly felt that got to the players today.
"Disappointing for us, we're a really young squad and I think it shows. Not just making decisions on the pitch but also it became a little bit of a pantomime before the game.
I actually saw it in (the players') eyes before the match and that's the disappointing thing. It's not my doing but it has affected them and it's affected our fans which I apologised for. And for that it makes me really frustrated."
Why should a man go to work, if he has the health and strength to stay in bed?