'Dazed and Confused'

‘When the going gets tough,

the tough get going…’

William Ocean 1986.

In reality, we’d never really been under too much pressure this season?

A fast start to the Corberan campaign.

September 13th we were top of the Championship.

Four wins from five.

13 Points.

A point ahead of Sunderland, Burnley and Blackburn..

Who says the table doesn’t lie?

Well looking at Blackburn’s demise, you may say them?

And a second club is hurtling towards that liars court.

Awfully and ominously, it may well be us?

The first real red flag came two games later, away to Sheffield Wednesday, when for the second time in nine Championship games, The Owls, orchestrated yet again by our regular ‘thorn in the side’, Barry Bannon, another three goals conceded, and we came home with nothing.

It was also a foreshadowing of a couple of repeating themes for the season.

Those you have to question?

Ones we seemingly never learn.

There is a penchant to fight back in games, but also an habitual concession of conceding late winning goals.

For Sheffield Wednesday, it was an 86th Minute winner.

Positively early, compared to many of our setbacks later this season.

And of course the other issue is the elusive away win.

It seems almost surreal to think, our first three away games accrued nine points.

In the eighteen away games since, we’ve won just once.

The loyal, away support has been absolutely outstanding, selling out the Baggies allocation week in week out, and their vocal presence is notable to say the least.

But supporters patience only goes so far, and you can see the faith unravelling as quickly as our form has.

Of course, over a season, events happen that are out of your control.

Clearly, Carlos Corberan considered he’d taken his Baggies squad as far as he could..

Exasperation was replacing inspiration..

A home town invite is always hard to turn down and no doubt it is a move he is relishing, as Valencia have risen from a relegation spot, to the comfort of midtable.

In Valencia’s last five games, their haul of eleven points is the third best in La Liga.

A win at Real Madrid, the ‘Icing on the Churro’.

Corberan was accused of lacking the drive to win games, devoid of enough attacking intentions, by formation and deeds.

But with Carlos, we had a clear idea of what we were going to get, tactically and selection wise..

Since January, the Albion vista is far more cloudy..

More Middlesboro smog than Mediterranean clean air.

Of course, players make teams, and the two opposite ends of the Albion team reveal the quality Corberan had and the comparable malaise under Mogga.

No Maja.

No Palmer.

Add those two assets to a Mowbray team?

A consistent, solid, dependable shot stopper and an intelligent goal scorer whose a perceptive ball playing striker, the classic but rare player who is a conduit to linking play as well being a clinical finisher.

The holes left by both are wider than the gap left by Josh Griffiths legs for Tuesday’s heartbreaking loss to Bristol City.

Of course, with Palmer, a cash injection and FFP rules came first.

The days of bankrolling owners in terms of transfers and player recruiting are long gone.

History not only informs but it can hurt.

We are just blessed that Shilen Patel and his family still put in over 30 Million to the Baggies coffers to keep the club afloat last financial year.

Like most supporters, we were energized by the appointment of Tony Mowbray, no doubt fuelled by the fact, Mowbray was such a brilliant manager first time around, and as a supporter base with a high number of genuine romantics, who are always keen to give the warmest embrace to the past.

The past for us, is often a glass half full.

It would be a difficult ascension to Head Coach in any circumstance, regulating the January Window, the comings and goings, in a league as close as The Championship, was bound to be crucial.

Adopting a different mantra on the game and style of play, another consideration.

Add in Mowbray's serious health issues and just a six month recovery, to do what he truly loves, was in hindsight, always going to be a tough task.

Truth was, we were in a comfort zone.

5th place suited us well.

The top 4 were well in front, and oddly enough, until losing to Sunderland, we’d competed with elan, being unbeaten in seven games against the cream of the division, that cream seems sadly stale when it reaches the next level, judging on last seasons promoted trio.

To compete so well against all of those possibilities for a Wembley Playoff Final and the Golden Fleece of financial life in the Prem, did seem achievable.

Maja returning, and perhaps partnering the goal machine that was Adam Armstrong under Mowbray's style of management?

Yes, I’d have taken that scenario.

Inevitably, if form is suffering it emboldens opponents.

Not only the team you are playing against, but also the chasing pack.

They can smell the Baggies blood.

And if the pack caught up, how would you deal with it?

When we hammered Portsmouth 5-1 on 25th January, we were six points clear of Coventry City.

After Coventry’s late winner, again against Pompey, we are now five points behind them.

An eleven point swing in Coventry's favour in twelve games.

With Bristol City it’s a nine point swing.

Teams who know how to win late are dangerous, via belief and that absolute imperative word at this time of year.

MOMENTUM.

As I wrote five weeks ago, 

‘If ever an international break for preparation is required, the March window will be the precursor for the most important five game stretch of games, in my opinion, of the season for West Brom.

So called six point games, define seasons..'

To lose the first three of these in a row and not even take the lead in any of these games is momentum in the wrong gear.

That gear being?

Reverse.

As already stated, Palmer’s move created an opportunity in the so-called ‘next man up’ scenario..

That next man happened to be Joe Wildsmith, and in a position where consistency is key, sadly, Wildsmith is still locked out.

The regular blunders mixed with instinctive saves have become habitual and it seems the more time Wildsmith has for a decision to made with his goalkeeping, there are more questions in his mind than answers..

Crosses, set pieces or long distance shots seem a riddle rather than finding a clear answer.

Mowbray does strike you as loyal to a fault, for example, sticking with Wildsmith until the Bristol City game, where Josh Griffiths blotted a pretty solid copybook by his late mistake.

For the atypical injury time winner, AGAINST us.

The reaction from the Robins faithful and the City team said it all..

Moments like that win playoff berths for the victors.

Or lose them for the vanquished.

Defensively, shorn of Heggem, we were at times shambolic.

Mason Holgate’s culpability is grimly consistent, Bartley’s last minute regurgitating of possession to Bristol City close to his penalty area in the last minute, as criminal as his red card was v Sheff Wednesday.

You need your leaders to lead.

It’s pretty basic.

Leading to a red card was the only likely outcome in a scenario where cool heads were needed against Bristol City and we had the hottest of heads in our midfield.

To Jayson Molumby’s credit, his work rate is beyond reproach, and an increased personal awareness of making good decisions by Molumby, is something I wrote about earlier this year in my article on him.

To contain and control one's emotions is vital, and Jayson has spoken about not wanting to lose that edge to his game and indeed his personality in order to play at his best.

But life is situational.

We get an equalizer.

We threatened twice through Dike.

The game could well be ours.

Six pointers COUNT..

Diakite’s obvious discomfort from an injury, is the type that hurts you as a team, but 11 v 10 can be an opportunity and more and more, the case of a stricken player a tactical move, to stymie the flow of the game.

To create an on the pitch 'time out'.

Bristol City, like most teams, like I'm sure we would, simply played on.

For Molumby it simply became too much..

The foul was deliberate, the foot high, the ‘afters’, all on Jayson’s part.

Simply what was Molumby thinking?

Mowbray is culpable of some things, but moments like that, that's all on the player.

And now, simply what are we thinking?

Appealing to overturn this most obvious red card?

The scenario, at last, gives a long overdue opportunity for Ousmane Diakite to stake his case to be a starter, something many others have done little to gain either of our manager's confidence this season.

Whether it was the recent effects of Ramadan, or both Corberan and Mowbray not having faith in our Malian midfielder, the truth is more than likely soon to be uncovered.

But with some of Tony Mowbray's recent starting XI's, I think it's fair to say, await the unpredictable with his selections.

What undoubtedly was a Mowbray error was the team line up and shape for the Bristol City game.

It’s one thing, to keep opponents guessing, it’s another to make your own team a confused state.

Getting Issac Price back for us was as unexpected, as it was a pre match boon.

Missing games with a calf injury, there was only so many miles and minutes in Price’s legs, and even a couple of days later, I’m still bewildered why we chose to use those Issac Price miles in the forlorn task of chasing the ball when Bristol City had possession?

For the miles run per touch of the ball, it was an expensive, wasted journey..

Equally, seeing Adam Armstrong on the right side of the attack was such a head scratcher?

Armstrong, who confessed he ‘never sets targets’, when he joined West Brom, would I doubt have predicted eleven games and one goal in open play?

Armstrong seems less and less enamoured week by week, as his impact and output has become minimalized.

Finishers like him need chances, and he has often been bereft of that.

Listening to the pre game discourse on WBA.TV, the pre kick off positional comment of a false 9 role for Price, and Armstong on the right, added to the fact, all three midfielders having any pre dispositon to playing wide and getting crosses in, gave me my most Carlo Ancelottiesque, eyebrow raising moment of the season.

Only difference, it was both my eyebrows..

We only looked dangerous when Price was liberated to a wider position at half time, although Armstorng's ineffectiveness was consistent regardless of team shape.

You could feel the hopes rise when amongst the quartet of subs, a fitter game on game, Daryl Dike played as a No.9 should, willing, competitive, at last a handful for the Robins defence.

The injection of pace and threat by Tom Fellows, put Bristol on an overdue back foot.

There was a delicious dribble by Fellows, that led to such consternation in the Robins defence that the retreating left back fell over backwards, bedazzled.

Or maybe, the pure shock that he had someone to mark?

Two excellent saves by the Bristol 'keeper from Dike, the second chance was perhaps easier to score than the first, but created by having a central striking presence with service delivered from a wide position, [how many crosses aimlessly flew over Armstrongs head earlier?]

This was consistent with the notion that getting across your defender, as a striker or incoming midfielder, asks questions and you become far more difficult to mark?

I'd like to see Dike or Lankshear possibly rotate as a No.9, no doubt, having a central target striker is something we've missed hugely.

Dike, after two serious injuries, is quite properly been nursed back into the team, in terms of minutes, but he looks better game on game, great news for us, and definitely great news for USA squad for the 2026 World Cup, who simply don't have a similar player to Daryl in their squad.

A long term good recovery and regular games, this and next season, gives Daryl a fighting chance to make the 26 players Pochettino is entrusting as the host nation.

Dike has a huge amount of goodwill out here in the States, it'd be brilliant to see him represent his country again.

Trust is something Will Lankshear is finding hard to get from Tony Mowbray? 12 games, 1 start, total number of minutes, 163.

It makes you wonder if there was a clause on the loan period for Adam Armstrong allowing him to start every game?

For sure, I imagine Spurs expected more game time for their promising young striker?

But it's simply not worked out.

Of course the winning goal, we need no reminders, so late, so painful and so avoidable.

Not just on the part of Wildsmith..

It's the last few seconds, situational play a simple awareness of what to do.

Why the ball was played directly back to Bristol City on the edge of the area, by Kyle Bartley, multiple times, rather than put his foot through the ball and hit deep, just taking the last seconds off the clock was beyond me?

And still.

It was six defenders v two attackers on that late strike..

Simply unfathomable the room Haydon Roberts was afforded for that 'stake in the heart' finish, Mason Holgate positioning amongst many, being a contributory factor.

By that moment, both management, players and fans were united in that emotion of being dazed and confused.

The seasons not over, though we are now almost moving in the heart vs head territory, which rarely pays dividends.

Zero points from the first three games in this end of season foray of fixtures, now needs to be transformed into fifteen points from five games.

Five wins.

In a row.

We've won eight games in the last thirty five...

Whether it's teams still on the verge of the Playoffs, or fighting for their life, every game is going to be a huge battle and challenge, and as Tony Mowbray said, post Bristol City game,

'We need to change things in front of goal very quickly'

Note to Tony.

Try an attacking formation with a true No.9 starting?

It would be a good start..