05-12-2025, 22:26
Last week's must-win game came within a whisker of going severely Shane Long for Albion, and while the 2-0 half-time deficit thankfully just paved the way for the most entertaining comeback win we've been treated to in years, it nevertheless means that the only two ticks in Ryan Mason's plus column for November were earned by coming from behind at home against relegation battlers. If it was a school report, ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT would be plastered in red ink over the front, and though there are two opportunities in the coming week for that improvement to be delivered, both are taking place on the road where we haven't won in over two months.
The consolation is that our opponents are very much in the same boat as us: the good ship 12th-14th to be precise, boldly going nowhere fast and cultivating an ever-growing aquarium on the lower decks. QPR are Saturday's opposition, defeated at Norwich last week but with a couple of recent wins buoying them somewhat, while Southampton - our destination Tuesday night - are also bouncing back from a loss, but otherwise enjoyed a dream November with a string of resounding victories that went some way to repairing their dreadful start. The encouraging signs for Albion, not just against Swansea but also in the Coventry capitulation, are that we can clearly score goals if our forwards (particularly Heggebo) get the support and supply they need; the lesson to be learned, on the other hand, is that we can't expect to defend a lead for more than ten minutes, and Josh Griffiths needs to be protected from saving anything smaller and faster than a balloon. It's not an ideal situation, but shouldn't be beyond Mason's ken to make good.
Still, a couple of draws to give us an unbeaten run would be a decent outcome against these shipmates who are a little more shipshape at present than us, and even one draw would keep the points tally ticking. Back-to-back defeats, on the other hand, would put us back at square one a week from now.
The consolation is that our opponents are very much in the same boat as us: the good ship 12th-14th to be precise, boldly going nowhere fast and cultivating an ever-growing aquarium on the lower decks. QPR are Saturday's opposition, defeated at Norwich last week but with a couple of recent wins buoying them somewhat, while Southampton - our destination Tuesday night - are also bouncing back from a loss, but otherwise enjoyed a dream November with a string of resounding victories that went some way to repairing their dreadful start. The encouraging signs for Albion, not just against Swansea but also in the Coventry capitulation, are that we can clearly score goals if our forwards (particularly Heggebo) get the support and supply they need; the lesson to be learned, on the other hand, is that we can't expect to defend a lead for more than ten minutes, and Josh Griffiths needs to be protected from saving anything smaller and faster than a balloon. It's not an ideal situation, but shouldn't be beyond Mason's ken to make good.
Still, a couple of draws to give us an unbeaten run would be a decent outcome against these shipmates who are a little more shipshape at present than us, and even one draw would keep the points tally ticking. Back-to-back defeats, on the other hand, would put us back at square one a week from now.
"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