12-02-2015, 17:26
Going into this weekend, it remains a miserable statistic that the last time Albion beat a Premier League team in the FA Cup, we'd never even played in the Premier League ourselves. The win against Leicester on 26th January 2002 was the beginning of a long, long curse against top-flight opposition in the cup, and one I'd love to see us break on Saturday.
Beating Swansea should give us a massive boost. The team seem confident, Brown Ideye is playing like a whole new man, and it could be that a burgeoning strike partnership with Saido will be our secret weapon in the last few months of the season. West Ham are the stronger team on paper, but recent form has seen them slip into the role of draw specialists, and I'm hoping that our continuing renaissance under Pulis - now standing at just one defeat in eight - will give us the momentum to get past the Hammers and into the quarter-final draw.
As ever in the cup, a bit of luck wouldn't go amiss. But when all's said and done, it'll be two decent sides - either ultimately capable of lifting the trophy if things go their way - giving the competition the respect and commitment it deserves. I'm looking forward to it.
Beating Swansea should give us a massive boost. The team seem confident, Brown Ideye is playing like a whole new man, and it could be that a burgeoning strike partnership with Saido will be our secret weapon in the last few months of the season. West Ham are the stronger team on paper, but recent form has seen them slip into the role of draw specialists, and I'm hoping that our continuing renaissance under Pulis - now standing at just one defeat in eight - will give us the momentum to get past the Hammers and into the quarter-final draw.
As ever in the cup, a bit of luck wouldn't go amiss. But when all's said and done, it'll be two decent sides - either ultimately capable of lifting the trophy if things go their way - giving the competition the respect and commitment it deserves. I'm looking forward to it.
Classic Match
West Bromwich Albion 3-0 West Ham United
Football League, First Division: 30th October 1976
Only recently unearthed this footage of a resounding home win against the Hammers under Johnny Giles; listen closely for an early (and very slow) rendition of The Lord's My Shepherd towards the end, and enjoy the sight of Mervyn Day having a bit of a nightmare in goal for West Ham.
"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