What did people think of Stewart’s cameo? I was quite impressed with his mobility, he went looking for the ball a lot which I like in a striker.
We only have 1 more loss than 'perfect Leicester ' That 9 point gap is nothing when there are still 30 games to go.
Did all the right things and he will hopefully give us a plan B with a long ball clearance when our passing out of defence gets pressed the way it did from around the 35th minute.
He made some good runs that would have put him clear behind the defence had the player on the ball been more aware. KWP could have passed him in twice, behind the left back but chose to cut in, onto his left foot instead.
Oh I also want to shout out Bazunu. He's really starting to win me over, that save today was incredible. A season at a lower level is doing him the world of good. Long may it continue.
I think those who backed him from day one are feeling pretty justified tonight. Myself included. The talent was always there but being pummelled week in week out by the likes of Haaland, Kane and Salah was always going to batter his confidence. He's now playing behind a settled back 4 and it's starting to show. THB is absolute class and should be playing in the PL and Bednarek (Holgate today) is doing a good job alongside him.
My biggest takeaway was the dicey doner kebab I just consumed, it may well be a torrid night at my pad.
At one point (probably more than one) Bazunu was part of the 'passing it around at the back' formation, acting as a sweeper. To be honest, he did pass the ball rather too close to their forwards for my liking, but Hey, we won!
All wins are 3 points, but that one felt like a big one. Agree with whoever said that WBA looked one of the best sides we’ve faced, better than Ipswich and were a real test. A draw probably felt like a fair result so to get a winner against the run of play felt massive for us. They were also a team of absolute units for a team that also played some good football. Their CBs even made Che look like he has a slight build. Also agree with whoever said RM got it wrong replacing Smallbone with Fraser. That was not a game or time in the game to give up the midfield. I called it at the sub and sure enough West Brom went from growing into the game, to dominating us until we made the triple sub when we started to compete again. Assume Downes went off with a knock? Anyway, fantastic win! Buzzing after that. COYR!
Thank heavens for the international break. Think it would be far too stressful to try to put up another elaborate match thread too soon!
West Brom have got one of the best managers in the division, if not the best. It was always going to be a good test for Martin. Some calls of his probably not the right ones, but ultimately nothing too damaging in the end. Incidentally RM has a one match ban for picking up another yellow.
In West Brom's previous 46 games in the Championship, they have amassed 75 points. The only 3 teams who bettered that last season, got promoted. They will keep improving, and they are strong contenders this season. Good to see they've got Ipswich, Leicester, and Sunderland in their next 4 games.
The flipside to the break is that everyone here will expect your Huddersfield match thread to be stunning: Incisive, witty, comprehensive and memorable. Or something like that...
