17-09-2014, 20:20
Ah, the solid organisation of a well-drilled defence. The flair and creativity of a well-balanced midfield. The pace and trickery of good wingers. The clinical precision of confident, in-form strikers. It was great to see all of these things for Albion again on Saturday; it's just a shame I had to fall asleep in order to experience it. If Irvine isn't planning to deliver any of these things in reality, then I'd appreciate knowing in advance, because it's reaching the point where I'd prefer to whip out the valium and stick on series five of John Major's Most Fascinating Pebbles than see the same mistakes being made over and over again. I'm clinging on to the hope that my "dream team" can become a reality with the players we've got in reserve, but the worry is how long we have to wait to see those players. And how effectively they'll be used when it happens. And just how low we may have sunk by then.
![[Image: hqdefault.jpg]](http://s24.postimg.org/izxy9shid/hqdefault.jpg)
It's difficult to know where to start with the team's problems. The few baby steps in the right direction which happened during the Sunderland and Southampton matches suddenly transformed into an alarming slide backwards against Oxford, Swansea and Everton, and with Spurs to come next, hopes of a positive result are at a serious low. I'd really like to find the positives about Albion's current prospects, but the sad fact is that as long as we struggle to seize the initiative in matches, take control of midfield, look comfortable in possession and really put the opposition's defence to the test, any other positives are mere window-dressing. I know that Rome wasn't built in a day, but if Caesar had come out of his tent after six weeks to find the foreman reading a book called Foundation-Laying For Dummies, and the brickies playing bingo with the cement mixer, I suspect he wouldn't waste much time putting on his best crucifying trousers.
We know that Jeremy Peace's own executory pantaloons are particularly well-worn, and that he probably wouldn't be shy about pulling them on again. We also know that he'll only do so when it suits him. At this moment in time, he's giving Alan Irvine the chance to put things right, and I hope that Irvine can make the most of that chance. His future at this club is going to hinge on what he can do with our new signings; whether we'll have them fit to start this weekend is, of course, anyone's guess. I really don't expect anything for us at White Hart Lane, but right now, I'd settle for any signs of improvement in a team which has made a habit of mediocrity.
I was going to say that it'd be incredible to see Albion 3-0 up against Spurs by half-time again, until I remembered that we've already done that once this year, and it didn't end well. It almost went wrong for Atkinson's boys too, but then, they still had a winning mentality. It's something we'll need to re-discover if we have any hope of remaining a Premier League club.
After 88 minutes, Irvine and Downing begin to suspect that a substitution might be needed to address the lack of pace out wide.
It's difficult to know where to start with the team's problems. The few baby steps in the right direction which happened during the Sunderland and Southampton matches suddenly transformed into an alarming slide backwards against Oxford, Swansea and Everton, and with Spurs to come next, hopes of a positive result are at a serious low. I'd really like to find the positives about Albion's current prospects, but the sad fact is that as long as we struggle to seize the initiative in matches, take control of midfield, look comfortable in possession and really put the opposition's defence to the test, any other positives are mere window-dressing. I know that Rome wasn't built in a day, but if Caesar had come out of his tent after six weeks to find the foreman reading a book called Foundation-Laying For Dummies, and the brickies playing bingo with the cement mixer, I suspect he wouldn't waste much time putting on his best crucifying trousers.
We know that Jeremy Peace's own executory pantaloons are particularly well-worn, and that he probably wouldn't be shy about pulling them on again. We also know that he'll only do so when it suits him. At this moment in time, he's giving Alan Irvine the chance to put things right, and I hope that Irvine can make the most of that chance. His future at this club is going to hinge on what he can do with our new signings; whether we'll have them fit to start this weekend is, of course, anyone's guess. I really don't expect anything for us at White Hart Lane, but right now, I'd settle for any signs of improvement in a team which has made a habit of mediocrity.
Classic Match
Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 West Bromwich Albion
Football League, First Division: 29th November 1980
I was going to say that it'd be incredible to see Albion 3-0 up against Spurs by half-time again, until I remembered that we've already done that once this year, and it didn't end well. It almost went wrong for Atkinson's boys too, but then, they still had a winning mentality. It's something we'll need to re-discover if we have any hope of remaining a Premier League club.
"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
![[Image: 1348664730___West_Brom_-_Banner.png]](http://www.footballaid.com/uploads/teams/1348664730___West_Brom_-_Banner.png)
