[themaclad]

LAST TIME OUT



MANAGER

Carlos Corberán Vallet (born 7 April 1983) is a Spanish football coach who is currently head coach of EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

Previously the head coach of Doxa and Ermis in the Cypriot First Division, Corberán was first team assistant coach and manager of the under-23s side at Leeds United.[1][2] He then managed in his own right at Huddersfield Town and Olympiacos.

ONE TO WATCH

Solomon Brandon Michael Clarke Thomas-Asante (born 29 December 1998) is a British professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

Thomas-Asante began his career with Milton Keynes Dons, where he made his professional debut aged in 2016 aged 17. After spells on loan with Sutton United and Oxford City, he left Milton Keynes in 2019, spending a short spell at Ebbsfleet United before signing for Salford City. While at Salford, he won his first trophy, the 2019–20 EFL Trophy.

Albion took a punt on this lad, think he cost around £500,000 if that, we will spend the next month looking for the next Graham Burke

Famous folks from West Bromwich

Phil Lynott and Robert Plant apparently saw the light of day in the town, as did K K Downing from Judas Priest

https://www.wba.co.uk/

https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=11941

[talkSAFT]

Sorry, Mac, but I'm forecasting a 1954 repeat! (Is Tom Finney fit?)

[themaclad]

TalkSaft I'm thinking more like a Lee Hughes hat trick 2001 ish

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In The Dressing Room


Alan Browne, Ali McCann and Emil Riis all made a return from their respective injuries off the bench on Boxing Day and could push for a start in this fixture.

Andrew Hughes, who has been sidelined since the middle of November, is back in training and has a chance of featuring, however manager Ryan Lowe said he is wary of rushing players back.

Robbie Brady, Sean Maguire and Troy Parrott are all expected to miss out.

A Look At Our Hosts

After making a well below-par start to the Championship season, West Brom chose to replace Steve Bruce with former Huddersfield Town boss Carlos Corberan in October.

He’s overseen quite a turnaround already during his short stint in charge, having led them to six victories in eight games, pushing them out of the relegation places and into the Play-Off picture.

With the likes of Jed Wallace, John Swift and Daryl Dike – to name a few – at his disposal, Corberan will be hoping he can go one better than last season, when he lost out in the Play-Off final at Wembley with Huddersfield.

Going Head To Head


Games played: 117
PNE wins: 41
Draws: 27
West Brom wins: 49
Last meeting: PNE 1-0 West Brom, 5th October 2022

One To Watch

There’s plenty of talent across this West Brom side, who are in fine form, but midfielder Tom Rogic seems to really be showing his class in recent weeks.

When the former Celtic man first arrived at The Hawthorns, it perhaps took him a bit of time to make his mark but – especially since the appointment of Corberan – he has proven what he can do.

The Australian scored a beauty to open his account for the club against Sunderland earlier in the month, and provided a wonderful assist on Boxing Day too for Brandon Thomas-Asante’s equally-impressive chip.

Match Officials


Andy Woolmer will take charge of PNE for the fourth time this season on Thursday evening.

Woolmer has refereed North End’s away games against Cardiff City, Sunderland and Huddersfield Town so far this campaign, with PNE keeping clean sheets in all three of those matches.

At this stage of the season, Woolmer has taken charge of 17 matches and has shown 69 yellow cards and three reds.


A big heads up to the EFL for giving us the same Christmas/New Year away games as we would have had last season or would have done if we had not got Covid.
A tough task this as Albion are in far better form under the new manager and look a very decent side, if we can nick a point will be more than satisfied.
No doubt Riis, Browne and McCann will start even though they are barely match fit having only got about 20 minutes on the pitch in the last six weeks. Last game before our usually disappointing transfer window, when the Riddler will take charge and completely destroys any hope we ever had.
2000 travel tomorrow night, I'll be there, just cannot beat a Christmas trip to the higest ground in Britain

[themaclad]

Utterly crap performance only had 4 and a half hours sleep sadly report delayed as I actually have to do some work

[themaclad]

West Bromwich Albion 2 Yokuslu 2 Preston North End 0

West Brom line-up: Palmer; Furlong, O’Shea, Pieters, Townsend; Molumby (Gardner-Hickman, 78), Yokuslu, Rogic (Swift, 55); Wallace (Grant, 78), Thomas-Asante (Dike, 63), Diangana (Reach, 63). Subs: Button, Ajayi.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey (Diaby, 65), Bauer, Lindsay; Potts, Whiteman, Ledson (McCann, 65), Browne (Woodburn, 77), Fernández; Riis (Cross-Adair, 65), Evans. Subs: Cornell, Cunningham, Johnson, Cornell.

Attendance: TBC.

Referee: Mr A Woolmer

The 1972 of us in the away section left the West Midlands last night having witnessed a truly dire performance, to be fair Albion are a decent side but we were utterly woeful and were lucky only to lose by two.
First the good news won the coach scratch ticket so basically had a free journey down, from then on in the night got worse.
The usual couple of laps round the ground then off we go, started okayish, with Alvaro having a shot saved by Palmer but things deteriorated quickly. Best explained in one passage of play, we kept the ball for the best part of a minute playing the usual sideways Ray Wilkins type football before hoofing the ball to the wing were we lose possession, five seconds later Albion have raced down the other end, Wallace has megged Bauer and had an effort well saved by Woodman.. From that moment onwards it was Woodman against Albion, Wallace had another effort well saved from the resulting corner, but the stopper pulled off an even better one handed save from Thomas-Asante.
One more fine save before the inevitable happened, Ledson lost the ball in midfield, Yokuslu ambled forward with not the semblance of a challenge form anyone in a yellow shirt and potted home from 20 plus yards bottom left corner maybe Woodman was slightly unsighted.
Managed to get to half time still in the game and started brightly in the second period but reality was soon to return, Swift's first touch as a substitute was to hit the bar, he soon had a hand in the second goal as Woodman's dreadful ball out left Whiteman surrounded by Albion players, he lost the ball Swift to Yokuslu back of the next game over.
Rallied a little at the end McCann had a goal bound shot saved and also hit the post but deserved nothing.
Alvaro is getting better could be more productiv if played as a winger, Ched worked his socks off and Woodman deserves preaise formkeeping us in teh game.
Riis and Browne looked well off match fitness, Bauer showed a distinct rustiness, the other well best not say anything.
The style of play is so predictable think we have been sussed big time, anyway Stoke on Monday should be a bundle of laughs .

Happy New Year

West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan told BBC Radio WM:

"The team played really well from the first minute until the 80th minute.

"The last 10 minutes we didn't control the game enough. We allowed them to take some free-kicks and set-pieces, which we had stopped for all of the first 80 minutes, but the performance of the team in attack and defence was superb.

"It's obviously positive when the opponents' goalkeeper is the best player because it means the team was creating many things."

Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"They were very good but, in terms of them being very good, we weren't quite at it with the ball or without the ball.

"We had a spell in the first half where we were moving the ball side to side and were creating moments and getting the ball in their final third, and in the second half we came out and had a little rally. But you can't give a team like that, who are in form, two golden opportunities, which we did.

"We knew it was going to be a tough evening because of the form they're in, but we wanted to be positive and believe we could get something out of it. Ultimately that wasn't the case because we gifted them two goals."

[themaclad]

[talkSAFT]

Thanks, Mac.
NOBODY will think the worse of you if you switch Clubs now. It's only 100 miles or so, and you'll be following a much better team.

[themaclad]

Wolves it is then

[talkSAFT]

Wolves it is then