10th May 2004: Better than Stoke,
but it still left me somewhat hollow. I suppose at least they did
try to put on a performance, at least in the second half, and they
didn't deserve to lose.
Was it merely mental exhaustion that caused these last three defeats
- after a long season with immense pressure on them for every game,
it's no surprise that they may have been somewhat drained once the
pressure was off. But I still maintain that the pressure should have
been kept on. I wanted that Championship but it's clear to me that
Megson wasn't bothered.
A lot of fans spent a lot of money (me included) to go to Reading
an Stoke, and we were short changed.
But I can't complain too much because it has been drive, commitment
and true grit that has got this team promoted, and even though it
was absent for much of the last three games, I've been proud to see
that team keep going and going time and again - maybe that is why
I've got so upset this last week, because it was so unexpected!
A somewhat cynical view is that Megson has used these games to reinforce
how much work there is to do to ensure that Jeremy Peace is under
no illusions - by removing key players like Johnson and Horsfield,
the team has been a shadow of its former self. I'm not sure if that
is something Lord Gary would do, but it has demonstrated that the
squad is no where near what it need to be for the Premiership.
A few words about the list of released players - the only big surprise
was Mark Kinsella. Whether his wages are a problem or whether it's
a fitness thing, I'm not sure, but I expected him to be kept on purely
because of his Premiership experience, although he has only shown
that quality on occasion for the Baggies.
But now it's all about who we bring in - we'll watch the summer dealings
with interest.
|
