Liam_Baggies

There was no 8-0 to the Chelsea boys. I sit in the Smethwick and that never happened.

There was a planned applause for Astle seen as our club was too gutless to do anything prior to kick off.

Disgusted with our first half performance, arguably our worst performance of the season, it was just defied any fight and the way we allowed you to turn us over was nothing short of embarrassing. Fabian Delph impressed me, he controlled the middle of the park, hunting in packs and giving us no time on the ball whereas we were the complete opposite. I also cannot believe how many shots were ballooned into the stand, there must have been at least four or five in the first half which got closer to Villa Park than it did the goal.

Much better second half with the ball being moved much quicker. You parked the bus and once we got the first it was a matter of time before we got the second, unfortunately it took us to long and left us with a lack of time to go and get a winner. You defended doggedly but ultimately we got what we deserved, although we can be thankful to Ben Foster who made two or three good saves which has kept us for a point.

Sorry, I was out for most of last night hence why I wasn't able to reply.

There was no 8 minute clap. There was a clap in the 9th minute in memory of Jeff Astle as it was 11 years since his unfortunate passing.

The Petrov applause, I was disappointed with a very small minority of Albion supporters who decided to make idiots of themselves which would have reflected quite badly, however, they soon shut up and we decided to sing pro Albion songs. I don't think many Albion fans were going to clap, the club have given it's wishes to Petrov and we all wish Petrov a speedy recovery, however, in my opinion, the clapping isn't for me. I and many others are more in favour of putting money in the buckets for the appropriate charities and actually making a difference rather than clapping which at times feels like a stick you use to beat others with.

It's on, thankfully.

Those of you which are coming, have a very safe journey.

To be honest, I don't like you very much as a club (you've probably understood that already) and on my own forum, I shall tweak things to suit an Albion audience whilst on here I shall try and remain civilised because this is your forum and the last thing your admin wants is me annoying everybody.

If you beat us, fair do's, I'll come on here and congratulate you. I won't run away. And neither shall I rub it in if we win (which I doubt).

Last time we had a game like this which was televised was Nottm Forest. The club tried everything they could to get the game on. The fans wanted it off, we were rather negative going into it.

We ended up losing 3-1.

The last game which wasn't on SKY and called off was the Dingles. We ended up drawing the re-arranged match 1-1.

It has been snowing heavily since about half 8 now and in some places the snow is quite deep. Just been out and it was above my ankles.

The ground isn't the problem, it's the surrounding areas, especially as a lot of Albion fans park in side streets just off the motorway island. Temperatures being below zero won't help matters either.

Albion FC WMPolice ‏@WMPAlbionFC

#wba #baggies #albion #avfc #utv Villa fans are welcome at the Royal Oak public house in Handsworth a short distance from the stadium.

Belgium

Thats the one. Cheers mate. Forever getting it mixed up with Bulgaria.

Is Lukaka at ACON ?

No, he's the same nationality as Benteke.

The country escapes me..

I'm only more or less two streets away from the ground, admittedly one road is the expressway but it's been snowing since about 3pm down here.

Ron Vlaar is gonna smash it and score a hat trick of headers from corners.

in his own net

Can someone who bothered registering do us all a cut&paste please?

A cut and paste of?

Hope it won't be called off. With the game being on live television I can't see the club wanting to call it off. Especially with the revenues it shall bring in. Although, fan safety is paramount and that will ultimately affect the decision.

Just seen on twitter:

Prior to kick off will be a minutes applause for Derek Kevan who passed away a week or two ago and also on the 19th minute, a picture of Petrov will be displayed on the big screen for those Albion fans which wish to take part in the 19th minute applause.

Liam, where would you say are the current weaknesses in the WBA team ?

This might sound stupid, but the real weakness is now our season is more or less finished, we have nothing to play for and our players will coast their way to the end of the season. Last season and season prior to that are following the trend of the last five or six matches.

On the pitch, we've generally looked OK defensively and there aren't that many glaring weaknesses. There appears to be a mentality with us defending in the last ten minutes, the amount of goals we have given away is worrying and that will eventually start playing on the lads mind. Especially if we can't hold onto a 2-0 lead for Christ sake! Another slightly worrying aspect is whether our 'wide midfielders' are bothered enough to get back and cover our fullbacks who at times have been left exposed.

The other weakness for me is our ball retention. A lack of movement and failure to keep hold of the ball means lately we have been aimlessly hoofing the ball in any direction in hope that one of our forwards can weave some magic.

The other weakness is the fact that without Mulumbu & Yacob we've been relying on Brunt and Thorne in the middle to provide the defensive cover. Thorne has done very well since his emergence but Brunt is out of position and it's showing, primarily because his positioning and ability in the tackle isn't as good and that for me is one of the main reasons why our form has dropped.

The importance of that Mulumbu/Yacob axis is crucial.

If we have a typical lifeless performance where we coast through matches then you could probably end up "doing the job" on us and leaving with a victory.

I expect changes to be made again after last night with hopefully the reintroduction of Claudio Yacob. He is unbelievably important to us.

I want the juicy bits! Haha

I've included the bait which was laid by one or two posters so I wonder if those on our forum shall react. I doubt it mind.

Could you post some comments from your board up?

Yeah I don't mind posting a few if and when they comment.

The usual comments are "Cheers Liam" and "another good read" so I would expect the same on this occasion.

Copied and pasted from our site. Apologies for the slightly longish gaps.

If you wish to view the article, then you shall need to sign up, but here is the link anyway: http://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=10557.msg214599#new

vs

Saturday 19th January 2013

It's been all change since I last formed one of these articles. We're stuck in a poor run of form and so are Aston Villa so I predict an equally nervous game for both sets of supporters. Last time out, the Albion threw away a two goal advantage against Reading, and the Villa lost an important relegation scrap against Southampton. The meeting at The Hawthorns last year finished 0-0 it was a contest which was forgotten quite quickly by those who watched it.

I've once again nipped over to Villa Talk for these weeks version of View from the Opposition.

Jimzk5: Not at all, in terms of performance the minimum I expected Lambert to do was instill belief and pride in the team and he hasnt.

Kjparton: We knew it wasn't going to be great, but I think most of us didn't expect it to be this bad.

Alex Payne: Nope, I expected a mid-table finish, since our win at Lpool somethings gone horribly wrong. I still think we'll overturn Bradford, so a Wembley appearance and survival would be a success in my opinion

Richard: I thought we would struggle in the first half and get better in the second half. When you are a team that is going to struggle then you will be in a relegation fight so even though results, especially recently have been disappointing, we are about where I would have expected at this point

KHV: Yes. I said from day one Lambert would be a disaster. We have one of the worst strike forces and the worst defence in the premer league which says it all. The danger was obvious after the woeful signings he made in the last window.

BOF: Not really. The nature of our signings (young, inexperienced lower level players) always meant that this predicament was a possibility. But the hope was that they would be mixed with more experience and that Lambert would figure out more quickly how to get consistent results. Add in some untimely injuries and what you get is very much the 'worst case scenario' playing itself out.

LockStockVilla: The biggest priority has to be CM. We desperately need both a CDM who can protect the back four and break up opposition attacks and also a decent CAM, who can run the attack and provide Benteke and Weimann with decent service. Without this, our biggest threat as a team is on the counter. After that, a versatile defender who can play in both FB positions.

Stevo985: Centre Back and Centre Midfield are priorities. Add some steel and experience here and we'll be ok. Fail to strengthen here and I fear the worst.

AvfctheObsession: A defensive midfielder, somebody in the mould of Diame at West Ham. I could go on about many other positions but realistically we've been told to expect one or two signings at most.

KHV: We need a right back, a left back, 2 x centre backs, 2 x midfielders and a wide player desperatley. If Bent goes we will also need a new striker. Not too much wrong then!

Kjparton: We desperately need another CB, Ron Vlaar coming back for the baggies game will give us a massive boost but he needs someone else next to him. We need a DCM and an ACM/winger to strengthen the midfield which is really lacking in lust at the moment.

BOF: From what I remember it was a fair result. Brom probably edged it but not to the extent that they deserved 3 points. You were on a good run at the time (IIRC) and I remember Baggies fans reactions were initially of disappointment with the draw and then a realisation that 'look how far we've come, being disappointed with drawing Villa'.

ParisVilla: It was an odd game. You were dangerous on the break but your goal was fortunate. Draw probably fair.

Richard: Better result for you than us at the time, fairish I guess for your cup final.

Pieface: It all depends on what happens this transfer window. Our team is really poor and I sympathise with him, but he needs to sign some quality.

LockStockVilla: No. PL is the best we can hope for at this time and he is trying to build something for the future. He does have some faults, which are based in his stubbornness when it comes to player selection and tactics, but if he has a productive January window, it can really aid his cause.

KHV: I didnt want him here in the first place.He is not the right man in the slightest. He was awful at Livingston, failed to get Wycombe promoted despite them being favourites and quit after losing in the playoffs, he then failed to get Colchester in the playoffs by finishing 9th even though again they were one of the favorites after coming down from the championship. Even though he got Norwich promoted twice they were always awful at the back, they conceded 66 goals last year and only the bottom 3 were worse. Its not hard to see why either, this Villa team is the worst organised team I have seen in over 25 years. Lambert and Culverhouse are useless and should never have been appointed, I have never seen someone so clueless in a dugout.

Paul Lambert is also so dull he could talk a glass eye to sleep.

Avfctheobsession: I have some doubts. I'd keep with him though, we have lost the experience of Petrov from the midfield and Collins, Cuellar and Dunne in defence.

IrishVillian: No doubts whatsoever. He was my first pick for the job and still is. This is a transition season and in the long term I think he will be a superb manager for this club. We just need to get through this season and then I think we'll pick up

8pints: We have had some pretty poor results recently but so have you

No I don't have any doubts about Paul Lambert being the right man, I think he's a great manager he's just taken too large a gamble with the majority of his choices. Hopefully this month he instills a some stability.

BOF: I honestly don't know if we'll survive. At this point in time, if nothing was to change for the remainder of the season, you have to say we'll be one of the three. But with 2 weeks of the transfer window to go and some key injuries coming back (Vlaar, Agbonlahor) we have the opportunity to progress. Plus the kids are slowly getting better. I think Reading are a dead cert. Everyone else can put up an argument for why they'll avoid the drop. It'd be hilarious to see Newcastle stay down there.

ParisVilla: Expect us to come bottom as things stand. Think Reading will go too. Not sure on the third team.

Danwichmann: We'll survive but it'll be close. Three from Reading, QPR, Southampton and Wigan most likely to go.

LockStockVilla: It all depends on our transfer activity, but I reckon Lerner will give PL the money he needs and we will beat the drop. The three I would tip for relegation are Reading, Wigan, and Southampton.

KHV: Vill will go down if Lambert stays, he is terrible but Lerner will not get rid of him. QPR, Villa and Reading to drop down.

KHV: I would not be afraid of anybody. Benteke might cause the odd problem until he shoots,Vlaar if he starts will make some good tackles but then get caught woefully out of position at some point but everyone else is crap. Lukaku will destroy our back 4, it will be embarrasing.

Avfctheobsession: Your only fear is whether Guzan denies you as he has done a couple of teams this season. I fear the Baggies attack in fairness whoever plays. Long is a threat when fit, Lukaku is an imposing presence.

Kjparton: Weimann is in top scoring form at the moment. Benteke is always a handful and I'd be wary of Gabby on the wing. I'm not looking forward to Lukaku vs our defence.

AlexPayne: Errrm, Ron Vlaar won't pose an attacking threat, but he certainly will add a well positioned, calm, experienced head in the middle. Gabby is due a goal and he used to love a derby, if he's in inspired form then we all know what he can do. Hopefully Bent returns, lord knows we need his goals.

For you, Ridgewell always worries me, one day he's gunna score against us. But Odemwingie is the main worry

BOF: It's quite obvious at this point in time that on his day Christian Benteke will dominate even the most physical of centre backs. If he's up for it then you're in trouble. If Ashley Westwood is back then he's capable of very good things in the centre of midfield, though he's lacking a foil at the moment. Weimann is also in a rich vein of form. So basically, our strike force is very handy. Our problem is getting them the ball in the first place.

GarethRDR: Benteke if he has one of his "on" days. Weimann, too. Fear? Long, Lukaku and Odemwingie if he lines up opposite whichever potted plant we decide to play at left back.

Jimzk5: Cant see us getting anything, ill say 3-1.

AlexPayne: Overall I'd say depending on what Villa side shows up. If we play like we did on Saturday then theres no reason we can't win if we learn to take our chances. 2 open goals missed, hit the cross bar and 2 good saves on Saturday. You never know

1 - 2

Odemwingie (56) Gabby (8, 78)

Danwichmann: 'll be very happy with another 1-1.

Pieface: 4-0 and another embarrassment

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Cheers to the Villa lads for their answers. To view the remainder of their answers Click Here.

Here's to an entertaining game, our season back on track and three points to the Pride of the Midlands.

Tell that to your own fans.

Like I said, had your fans not acted like complete numpties during the minutes applause, there would have been no need for the no respect song.

That was at Villa Park.

And are we not allowed to support our own side in-case it disrupts your minutes applause?

Mulumbu is out but Yacob is back for Saturday.

I'm only going by what I've been told by fans that joined in with it.

I was sat next to the Albion fans in the North Stand, I never heard the No Respect song.

If it had been a piss take out of Petrov nobody would have joined in.

The no respect song started because we started singing Albion songs and failed to clap during the minutes applause.

To be fair to you as well it was not long after we had started doing the applause thing so a lot of Baggies fans at the game hadn't got a **** clue what was going on. Most of the blame has to go to the local radio stations trying to whip up a bit of controversy after the game over the issue.

As far as I'm concerned he's our player and we support him and if other fans join in it's a great gesture. If other fans don't that is fine too, the last thing I want to see is us get all Liverpool about it.

Hear Hear. It took me at least 30 seconds to understand what was happening and in fairness, I did clap the remainder of the minute, however, I don't think we deserved the following reaction. From both Villa fans and BBC WM.