Final Match Stats:- Overall possession West Bromwich Albion 62.1%Portsmouth 37.9% Shots West Bromwich Albion 19Portsmouth 14 Shots on target West Bromwich Albion 11Portsmouth 4 Total touches inside the box West Bromwich Albion 30Portsmouth 18 Goalkeeper saves West Bromwich Albion 3Portsmouth 5 Fouls West Bromwich Albion 5Portsmouth 14 Corners West Bromwich Albion 7Portsmouth 5
The selection omission that has not drawn comment is Harvey Blair. Our two regular choice wingers were rested and Devlin put on the wing. (and I must say he made a better fist of it than I expected). Early in the season Blair came on a couple of times and demonstrated flashes of considerable pace. He was then put in the starting eleven a couple of times but only once as an out and out winger, the other in the middle of the attacking line. On both occasions he was disappointing. He also demonstrated a lack of energy/fitness with regard to executing the 'press' and tracking back. Since then he has had injury but in the two games before West Brom was on the bench. Despite early disappointment we must accept that he is really our only alternative winger to Murphy and Richie. In the light of this it seems silly not to give him some opportunity in a game where one of our first choice wingers was rested and the other substituted. We now have Blair, Kamara, and the two young Australians just recruited seem to carry the 'promising but not just yet tag.' The longer the season goes the more crucial each game will get and the courage required to try them will increase, yet we may not have alternatives. However, unless we strengthen the wing position in the back end of the transfer window, I feel we must 'dare' to take opportunities to give Blair a second chance.
