 |
West
Bromwich Albion v Blackburn Rovers
The Hawthorns,
West Bromwich. 26th April 2005, 7.45pm. |
| 24th April 2005 |
| Back
to Previous Page |
|
 |
 |
| Position |
19th |
12th |
| Form |
L W W D D L |
L D W L W D |
| Last Match |
Middlesbrough
(A) 0-4 |
Manchester City (H) 0-0 |
Last Meeting
14th August 2004 |
Blackburn Rovers 1 (Short
70)
West Bromwich Albion 1 (Clement 33) |
Last Baggies win in this fixture
was 1-0 on 30th September 2001
A goal from Lee Hughes secured the points in this top-of-the-table clash in Division One. Albion went on to reach the play-offs whereas Blackburn were promoted as runners-up. Since then, the teams have met twice at the Hawthorns with one draw and one win for Rovers. |
Tuesday's match is
simply the biggest of the season - so far at least. Three points
will lift Albion back out of the relegation zone and put them two
points clear of 18th-placed Crystal Palace with just three games
to go and will, to a certain degree at least, allow us all to put
Saturday's disappointment at the Riverside behind us. And speaking
of Palace, it is probably the biggest game in Albion's history since
we beat the Eagles in April 2002 to secure our first promotion to
the Premiership, if not bigger. It has been said that your biggest
game is always the next one, and there is an element of truth to
it.
Blackburn have been extremely helpful to the Baggies cause of late.
Their last two victories have been against Southampton and Crystal
Palace at Ewood. Two more results that could be of tenuous help
to Albion are those against Man Utd and Arsenal. By grabbing a point
at Old Trafford and losing to Arsenal, they may have helped to put
second place beyond the Red Devils and, if it is mathematically
over by 7th May, no one would be surprised to see Sir Alex field
a weakened side with the FA Cup final just a fortnight away.
Since the two sides met on the opening day of the season, much has
changed. Both clubs have new managers and both have suffered a slump
followed by a dramatic recover, although Rovers managed to accomplish
the turnaround in a much more timely manner. That could partly be
put down to the timing of their management change.
When Sir Bobby left Newcastle and Souness was chosen to replace
him, the former Scottish international left the Ewood Park club
in an extremely precarious position. It was early in the season,
but Rovers had failed to win in the first four games and sat in
18th place. Mark Hughes was appointed on 16th September and was
victorious in his first game in charge over Portsmouth. It took
a while for the former Welsh boss to truly turn things round and
after the draw with Birmingham on 21st November, they had failed
to win any more games and sat bottom of the table on 10 points,
with the Baggies above them on goal difference. But two wins and
three draws in their next six saw Rovers climb up to 15th place
and they have never really looked back. A good run in the FA Cup
helped to keep momentum going and, while a couple of consecutive
defeats in February may have had them glancing nervously below them
in the table, four wins and three draws in the last eight games
has seen them rise to their current dizzy heights of 12th.
So what has been Hughes' magic formula? Ironically, his tactics
seem to mirror those of Gary Megson in that he sends his sides out
to be tenacious in the challenge, very "in your face" and to keep
it tight at the back. Indeed, Rovers have conceded just three goals
in the last ten Premiership games, which is the best defensive record
in the Premiership, but it has come at the expense of goals at the
other end. In the same ten games, they have scored only eight (only
Birmingham have scored fewer) with six of those coming in 3-0 victories
over Norwich and Southampton.
Their scoring problems have not been helped by the recent injury
to top scorer Paul Dickov. Hated by opposing fans, Dickov is a nuisance
striker with a decent scoring record and was courted by Megson in
the close season. He's hit the net on ten occasions this term and
his absence on Tuesday night is a huge boost for the Baggies.
One of Sparky's best finds this season, just behind Dickov in the
scoring charts, is Morten Gamst Pedersen. He shot himself into the
headlines with two goals in a week in January and has been pretty
much a fixture in the side ever since scoring a further six goals.
Alongside Pedersen up front in the last two games was Jon Stead.
He joined from Huddersfield last season and scored six goals to
help keep Rovers in the Premiership, but he has just one this season
and has not shown anywhere near the same form. He remains a threat,
however.
In midfield, the man everyone loves to hate, Robbie Savage, joined
from Birmingham in January to add a little steel in the middle.
He is still struggling with a groin injury but, should he play,
he will certainly make the centre of the park a battlefield on Tuesday
evening. He will most likely be joined by Brett Emerton and Steven
Reid who both offer penetration on the flanks and probably South
African Aaron Mokoena as the holding player. Hughes does have a
strong midfield squad however with Garry Flitcroft, David Thompson
and Tugay all waiting in the wings for a starting place.
One of the main reasons that Blackburn have turned around their
season around is their impressive defensive record of late. Much
of that can be attributed to Brad Friedel, widely acclaimed as one
of the top 'keepers in the Premiership, but a settled back four
of Neill, Matteo, Nelsen and skipper Andy Todd has proved to be
an extremely effective unit that is very difficult to break down.
And that, perhaps, is the key to the game. As a Baggies fan, I'd
like to think that the defensive lapses at the Riverside will not
be repeated as the second half performance was much more solid,
particularly with Blackburn's recent problems in finding the net.
If Albion can find a way through the Rovers defence just once, it
could well be enough to claim the vital three points. Obviously,
I'd prefer not to be biting my nails watching the clock with the
Baggies just one goal up, but you can't have everything.
So can the Baggies do it? If they can reproduce some of the attacking
play we saw at Tottenham and, let's face it, at 'Boro, then yes
they can. Evidently the key is to finish those chances off, and
that has certainly been the problem. The fact is that all of our
strikers have been guilty of missing good chances, along with a
few midfielders, so it's difficult to know who will put them away.
Personally, I would look at the all round game of each player and
just hope, that when the chance comes along, they can finish it
- at the end of the day, they are all quality finishers who can
do the business on their day.
With that in mind, I would start Campbell and Horsfield up front,
assuming the Horse is fit. Earnshaw just doesn't seem to do it when
he starts, and he is a very useful weapon on the bench. My chief
worry for Tuesday is Gera - he looked tired and well below par on
Saturday and I just hope that he is able to recover for Tuesday
as he is such a key player. However, the news that Richardson should
be fit is a huge boost.
Assuming fitness of all concerned, my team would be as follows:
Hoult; Scimeca, Gaardsoe, Clement, Robinson; Gera, Chaplow, Wallwork,
Richardson; Campbell, Horsfield.
It is going to be a tense affair, I fear, and pretty unbearable
for the supporter - Blackburn will keep it tight, and Albion will
just have to be patient. The fans will need to keep the noise level
going which will be difficult if it turns out to be the turgid game
I am expecting. Albion do have the armoury and should have the confidence
to win through, despite the weekend's events
Come on you Baggies, your time has come!
Jon Want, 24th April 2005.
|
| ^ Back to Top
|
|
