[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

After a miserable, error-laced outing at Derby summed up the experience of recent months, Albion kick off 2022 on home soil, against a team that provided us with one of the happier nights of the autumn: Cardiff City. Since losing 4-0 to us at the end of September, things have barely improved for the Bluebirds; only a purple patch in November and the points deduction for the Rams have kept them out of the relegation zone, and they begin the year just three points above the drop.

The good news is that Cardiff have won only one of their last ten games at the Hawthorns, back in December 2009, and Albion performed well enough in our last home encounter against Reading; but our dominance in that game amounted to just one goal, which in turn makes up precisely 20% of the total we've scored in the last two months. Furthermore, our tendency to struggle against sides at the bottom of the table has only been emphasised by Barnsley and Derby over Christmas, and Steve Morison will doubtless see the attraction of parking the bus, frustrating our forwards and seeing what his side can snatch. Daryl Dike will hopefully prove an asset to us very soon, but this weekend we need someone else to step up to the mark.

A win tomorrow would complete Albion's first league double over Cardiff since 1974-75, when Bryan Robson sealed the deal with his first senior goal. Those are big boots to fill, but it's high time someone in Baggies colours showed willing to have a try.

[Baggie_One]

Different year
Same shit show

[Slick_Footwork]

We have served up some complete dross this season, but this is a new low.

As far as I'm concerned, the manager has 45 minutes to save his job...

I've said before that I sympathise with him to an extent for inheriting a poor squad, but they are capable of far more than this.

This garbage formation just doesn't lend itself to any football. Too many men behind the ball. Nobody showing in forward areas. No flexibility. Nobody showing in the hole. And to boot we concede a free header inside the 6 yard box despite having 5 defenders playing. It's an absolute shambles.

[talkSAFT]

Can Dike change his mind?

19 pts from 15 games since September.
What's Lai doing here if he's not sacking Ismael?

[Baggie_One]

1-1 Robinson

Not at all offside

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Mowatt straight red

[talkSAFT]

Mowatt red-carded (10 mins to go)

[derbybaggie]

Eventful at the end!

Looked like a penalty on initial view, but no luxury of a replay so would like to see again.

[Slick_Footwork]

NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

We can bemoan the potential penalty at the end. We can say we gave it a real good go with 10.

But overall, it was another in a long line of pathetic performances.

No pattern of play. No shape. It was like watching paint dry... AGAIN.

This ill discipline is a disgrace.

What was Mowatt thinking with that tackle?

Livermore should've already been sent off... The ref isn't going to miss all of them...

So much passion after the whistle that Johnstone gets sent off as well. What's the point? And where was the passion during the game?

Ismael's idea of changing things... putting a full back at centre half

Why on earth was Mulumby dropped when he was the only player to come out of the Derby game with any credit?

Livermore can't play and is a sending off waiting to happen...

Really can't see us making the playoffs with this numpty in charge. It's becoming more apparent every week that he's absolutely clueless. And begging for a penalty at the end after that shocking performance just makes it more embarrassing.

---

Eventful at the end!

Looked like a penalty on initial view, but no luxury of a replay so would like to see again.

Looked stonewall in real time and was surprised the ref didn't give it especially after sending Mowatt off.

But having seen the replay, it would've been soft. The player does have his hands of Molumby's shoulders, but there's no shirt pull or anything. Molumby threw a convincing dive.

[baggietrousers]

I have said it time and time again, Ishmael is a useless, clueless excuse of a coach.
He has to go, and he has to go now.
Please dont try and defend him with the "he can only work with squad he inherited" line. They may not have been very good but he has made them worse.
No discipline, no tactics, no plan b (or plan a for that matter), no idea and no future.

[Salopbaggie]

But having seen the replay, it would've been soft. The player does have his hands of Molumby's shoulders, but there's no shirt pull or anything. Molumby threw a convincing dive.

I have to disagree, if the player has his hands on Molumby's shoulders when he s trying to get to the ball, that is a penalty, end of story whether he throws him to the ground or not. That is the whole reason it all kicked off, lack of consistency in refereeing decisions, referees must either all give it as a penalty or none of them give it. I must admit I do see more in it than you do With the other red a lot of referees would have given a yellow for that as well, we need consistency.