16-01-2021, 16:32
Sweet merciful Buddha on a pushbike, it's going to take a week for me and my blood pressure to recover from that 
When the dust settles, this is going to go down as one of the great Black Country derbies, and rightly so. First thoughts, as someone who expected defeat at the least and total humiliation at the worst, I give maximum credit to Sam and the team for pulling out all the stops in this one. To come out depleted by COVID, having only won once all season and produce a result like that against arch-rivals is a magnificent achievement.
I'd stand by the view that our defending (especially from corners) was Keystone Cops for the first hour, but Kyle Bartley deserves the freedom of West Bromwich, because when the chips were down in that last half-hour he led by example at the back. Absolutely rock-solid, and if we still rode our luck at times, then we deserved that bit of good fortune for all the hard work and concentration. Snodgrass has also given us that bit of something extra in attack; great movement off the ball, a real contrast to previous games. And Pereira has just about redeemed himself for his lapse in the shootout last Saturday.
Albion, eh? There might just be a bit of life left in the old girl yet.
When the dust settles, this is going to go down as one of the great Black Country derbies, and rightly so. First thoughts, as someone who expected defeat at the least and total humiliation at the worst, I give maximum credit to Sam and the team for pulling out all the stops in this one. To come out depleted by COVID, having only won once all season and produce a result like that against arch-rivals is a magnificent achievement.
I'd stand by the view that our defending (especially from corners) was Keystone Cops for the first hour, but Kyle Bartley deserves the freedom of West Bromwich, because when the chips were down in that last half-hour he led by example at the back. Absolutely rock-solid, and if we still rode our luck at times, then we deserved that bit of good fortune for all the hard work and concentration. Snodgrass has also given us that bit of something extra in attack; great movement off the ball, a real contrast to previous games. And Pereira has just about redeemed himself for his lapse in the shootout last Saturday.
Albion, eh? There might just be a bit of life left in the old girl yet.
"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