30th December 2003: It's getting
desperate, which may seem a strange thing to say when you're second
in the table, but had we played half-decent teams in our last three
games, we'd have got no points and have conceded about ten goals.
As it is, we're fortunate to have got two points, conceded only two
and we're still in second place. Thankfully, January sees no decent
teams in our fixture list, with Forest, Walsall, Burnley and Watford,
so we have a chance to regain some form and, more importantly, some
confidence.
The most striking thing I found about tonight's game was Albion's
lack of pace in their passing. All the players were receiving the
ball with no idea of what to do with it - they would control, look
up, think and then attempt the pass, by which time an enthusiastic
Dons player had closed them down and forced the error. That to me
is a symptom of confidence - confident teams play the first-time balls
and move the ball around with pace. Albion did none of that tonight.
But let's not get too carried away. We're still second and the players
have not become bad players overnight. They are not playing well,
but we all know they are capable of playing some great stuff. If we
had nicked a goal early on tonight, I felt it could've led to an avalanche,
but we didn't. If we look to Saturday, Forest are on a dreadful run
of form, so an early goal could see their heads dropping - it could
prove to be the tonic the side needs. Forest may think the same of
course, but whatever the faults of the current bunch of players, I
do not think their heads will drop.
With the pressure off to a certain extent in the cup, hopefully we
may see a change in fortunes, or am I just clutching at straws? I
don't think so; this group of players will come good. The last decent
league performance was at Forest, so let's go and repeat it and get
this season back on track.
It's a new year, a new beginning to the promotion push. Come on you
Baggies!!
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