23-10-2014, 01:15
Just realised this cup tie comes hot on the heels of the Palace match, and I'm unlikely to have time to produce a thread over the weekend, so without further ado...
![[Image: sacred_heart_oap_trip.jpg]](http://s8.postimg.org/iekkbjcdx/sacred_heart_oap_trip.jpg)
So, for the first time in four years we reach the dizzying heights of the League Cup's fourth round, and manage to avoid Premier League opposition in the process. Of course, that's no guarantee of success; Bournemouth proved a real dark horse in the Championship last season and were unlucky not to reach the playoffs, and despite losing hotshot Lewis Grabban to Norwich in the summer, replacing him with the young Coventry striker Callum Wilson has proved a masterstroke thus far. They're once again the Championship's form team, knocking on the door of the playoffs with Wilson one of the division's best goalscorers. It can't be said enough: you underestimate a confident young team like Bournemouth at your peril.
Of course, on our side is the likelihood that the plucky underdogs will be up against a wealth of internationally-capped (and some World Cup) stars potentially including Ideye, Varela, Blanco, Samaras, Mulumbu, Yacob and Gamboa. The south coast sea breeze on a Tuesday night in autumn may not be what these guys are used to, but this is professional football: put in a dedicated performance and we can score goals with these boys in the team. My concern is that we'll also probably see the return of the Olsson/McAuley central defensive partnership, which - to put it politely - did not scale its former impenetrable heights against Hull in the last round, as well as the slightly awkward acclimatisation of Jason Davidson at left-back. You get the feeling that if a player like Wilson goes at our second-string defence with pace, Bournemouth's own contribution to the scoresheet could be sizeable.
So, a good old-fashioned cup tie with end-to-end action and plenty of goals from both sides? I do hope so. Get out there, cheer the boys on, and may the best team on the night earn their quarter-final berth.
All-out aggro expected as the Bournemouth ultras once again turn out in force.
So, for the first time in four years we reach the dizzying heights of the League Cup's fourth round, and manage to avoid Premier League opposition in the process. Of course, that's no guarantee of success; Bournemouth proved a real dark horse in the Championship last season and were unlucky not to reach the playoffs, and despite losing hotshot Lewis Grabban to Norwich in the summer, replacing him with the young Coventry striker Callum Wilson has proved a masterstroke thus far. They're once again the Championship's form team, knocking on the door of the playoffs with Wilson one of the division's best goalscorers. It can't be said enough: you underestimate a confident young team like Bournemouth at your peril.
Of course, on our side is the likelihood that the plucky underdogs will be up against a wealth of internationally-capped (and some World Cup) stars potentially including Ideye, Varela, Blanco, Samaras, Mulumbu, Yacob and Gamboa. The south coast sea breeze on a Tuesday night in autumn may not be what these guys are used to, but this is professional football: put in a dedicated performance and we can score goals with these boys in the team. My concern is that we'll also probably see the return of the Olsson/McAuley central defensive partnership, which - to put it politely - did not scale its former impenetrable heights against Hull in the last round, as well as the slightly awkward acclimatisation of Jason Davidson at left-back. You get the feeling that if a player like Wilson goes at our second-string defence with pace, Bournemouth's own contribution to the scoresheet could be sizeable.
So, a good old-fashioned cup tie with end-to-end action and plenty of goals from both sides? I do hope so. Get out there, cheer the boys on, and may the best team on the night earn their quarter-final berth.
Classic Matches
West Bromwich Albion vs Bournemouth
Various
Bournemouth's been a rare treat of a fixture for us through the years, so here's a few from the archives!
9th December 1989: Goodman and Bartlett on target for Albion, before Luther Blissett spoils the fun.
14th August 2007: Craig Beattie does something worthwhile (no, really).
23rd August 2011: Albion go goal-mad during our last visit to the Goldsands.
"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