[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

With the sleigh bells jingling and the Dingles dingling, Albion head into the festive season with top spot in the Championship all to ourselves, and a solid twelve-point cushion separating us from the dreaded playoffs.  But with four matches to get through before the evening of New Year's Day, that lead could conceivably evaporate altogether in an incredibly bleak midwinter.  It's up to Bilic's Baggies to stretch the current twelve-game unbeaten run - our longest since Di Matteo held the reins in spring 2010 - and take us into the new decade with the Premier League in our sights.

First up, Brentford visit the Hawthorns on Saturday for one last pre-Christmas cracker, having crept up to 4th place on the back of tough wins against Cardiff and Fulham.  With that kind of threat to top teams, and Albion looking a bit off-colour in the last couple of games, we'll have to be back to our best to keep the momentum going.  It might take an even bigger Christmas miracle to take three points from our Boxing Day visit to Oakwell, where we haven't won a game of competitive football in seventeen attempts since August 1947.  Barnsley's current berth at the bottom of the league means this is probably our best opportunity to overturn that curse, but having already held us to a 2-2 draw in B71 this autumn, the Tykes do seem to find a way of thwarting our best-laid plans.

A week on Sunday it's the turn of Middlesbrough to pay us a call, still floundering in the dogfight and desperate for points, before the main event to open 2020: a clash of the two promotion favourites with Leeds coming to town on New Year's Day.  And so for the fortnight ahead, I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Saturday 21st December - WBA vs Brentford - 15:00
Thursday 26th December - Barnsley vs WBA - 15:00
Sunday 29th December - WBA vs Middlesbrough - 15:00
Wednesday 1st January - WBA vs Leeds - 17:15

[Blue Baggie]

Fantastic pictures - thanks

[WBA-Josh]

Thanks for all your hard work this year with the match threads Ska’d. Always a great read.

I’m interested to see what teams Slaven is going to put out over Xmas. Obviously he’ll have to rotate to keep players fit so I hope we’ll see Harper and Zohore receive some first team match time.

[Sanjay]

Thanks for all your excellent contributions, Ska'd.   Hope you have a well earned rest, a peaceful and happy Christmas and an even better New Year.  Cheers.

[drewks]

Yup, great stuff as always, Ska'd, and much appreciated.
Here's to us all.
Season's thingumies all round

[derbybaggie]

Thanks Ska’d and merry Christmas to one and all.

[Beefy 1965]

Yep well done ska
Deserves more comments really a bit like our prediction League write up
I think Brentford will be really tough as they are on a great run,
Not sure about Barnsley either do we ever win their ??
Diangana hoping to be back in the new year.
A big loss over a busy Xmas period !!

[drewks]

Yep well done ska    
Deserves more comments really a bit like our prediction League write up  
I think Brentford will be really tough as they are on a great run,
Not sure about Barnsley either do we ever win their ??
Diangana hoping to be back in the new year.
A big loss over a busy Xmas period !!  

Hey Beefwold, a bit like when both Sawyers and Liverwort were out at the same time - it gives an opportunity to someone else. I know Diagonal has been very good consistently but for the first time in a LLLOOONNNNG time we have a HC who can change things around according to the players on the field!
Most teams in our league would love to be able to pick from our subs bench!

(Biddy gold this smell checker and predictive ticks innit?)

[Dingle-Dingle]

Just put 4 up front. Merry Christmas boys and girls.

   

DD

[bomberbrown1968]

Cheers Ska'd, look forward to these every game. Photos and write up are brilliant

More of the same in the New Year hopefully.

Edwards is a pretty useful replacement to have, assuming that's what Slav does. The depth is the difference this year, we seem to have good cover all over the pitch.

Would love to come out of Christmas with still just the one defeat all season to go into the game on New Years day, though I really rate Brentford, they certainly won't sit back. If we can stem their tide, it could really suit us on the counter