25-09-2014, 22:55
(This post was last modified: 25-09-2014, 22:59 by Ska'dForLife-WBA.)
The last time Albion managed to win two matches in the space of four days, I'm pretty sure that Alan Irvine was having schoolboy trials at Queens Park and Jeremy Peace was a disco king with a two-foot-wide afro. Flushed with this unprecedented success, some who were furnishing us this time last week with Nostradamus predictions about the horrific and utterly unavoidable fate awaiting Albion with Irvine at the helm (meteors striking the Hawthorns, the back four being replaced with three-headed aardvarks, etc) now seem equally certain that we're in for a top eight place come May, shortly before Irvine becomes the first man on Mars. I'm loath to discourage any kind of positivity towards the team and head coach, who's unquestionably earned himself a dram or two this week, but the fact is that our brace of triumphs are just the first building blocks, and this weekend they need a good coat of cement slapped on them before we get to work on the next layer. There will undoubtedly be setbacks to come in the near future, so here and now, we need that result against Burnley to really get our season on track.
![[Image: pt_1977_2971_o.jpg]](http://s28.postimg.org/x402lb09p/pt_1977_2971_o.jpg)
The first hurdle Irvine will need to clear is the fabled "selection headache" which comes with having seen the vast majority of the first team squad turn in improved performances over the last few days. He may be tempted to keep faith with the team which won at White Hart Lane, but with Burnley likely to stay organised and deep, playing on the counter, we'll need an attacking line capable of breaking their defence down. Playing it cautious in this one would be a mistake.
Like us, Burnley have struggled for goals in recent games, but we've proven very charitable to teams with such difficulties in the past; I hope to see the Lescott/Dawson partnership replicate their superb concentration from last Sunday, and not become complacent. In fact, that goes for the whole starting XI: Burnley have earned their place in the Premier League, and their chances of staying here will be hugely improved by every team that underestimates them. Let's not be the first.
The opening home match of our campaign to "boing back" after that first Premier League relegation, and it's probably our best performance against Burnley in modern times. After an early setback, "Our Tim" Sakiri does pretty much the only thing he'll be remembered for, then Rob Hulse and Lee Hughes take care of the rest. Fun in the sun.
Finding out that Chris Brunt has just remembered how to take corners properly is a bitter pill for Sean Dyche.
The first hurdle Irvine will need to clear is the fabled "selection headache" which comes with having seen the vast majority of the first team squad turn in improved performances over the last few days. He may be tempted to keep faith with the team which won at White Hart Lane, but with Burnley likely to stay organised and deep, playing on the counter, we'll need an attacking line capable of breaking their defence down. Playing it cautious in this one would be a mistake.
Like us, Burnley have struggled for goals in recent games, but we've proven very charitable to teams with such difficulties in the past; I hope to see the Lescott/Dawson partnership replicate their superb concentration from last Sunday, and not become complacent. In fact, that goes for the whole starting XI: Burnley have earned their place in the Premier League, and their chances of staying here will be hugely improved by every team that underestimates them. Let's not be the first.
Classic Match
West Bromwich Albion 4-1 Burnley
Football League Division One: 16th August 2003
The opening home match of our campaign to "boing back" after that first Premier League relegation, and it's probably our best performance against Burnley in modern times. After an early setback, "Our Tim" Sakiri does pretty much the only thing he'll be remembered for, then Rob Hulse and Lee Hughes take care of the rest. Fun in the sun.
"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
