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West
Bromwich Albion v Sunderland
The Hawthorns,
West Bromwich. 21st January 2006, 3.00pm. |
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Match
Preview |
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| Result |
West Bromwich Albion |
0 - 1 |
Sunderland |
| Scorers |
None |
Steve Watson (o.g. 72) |
| Attendance |
26,464 |
| Teams |
4-4-2
29 - Tomasz Kuszczak(GK)
14 - Martin Albrechtsen
19 - Curtis Davies
16 - Steve Watson
3 - Paul Robinson
24 - Ronnie Wallwork
17 - Darren Carter
8 - Jonathan Greening
33 - Junichi Inamoto
22 - Nathan Ellington
21 - Kevin Campbell |
4-4-2
(GK) Kelvin Davis - 1
Justin Hoyte - 32
Gary Breen - 5
Steven Caldwell - 6
Danny Collins - 15
Liam Lawrence - 7
Dean Whitehead - 8
Tommy Miller - 14
Julio Arca - 33
Jonathan Stead - 9
Anthony Le Tallec - 17 |
| Substitutes |
20 - Chris Kirkland(GK)
12 - Richard Chaplow
6 - Neil Clement
31 - Stuart Nicholson
9 - Geoff Horsfield |
(GK) Ben Alnwick -
13
Nyron Nosworthy - 12
Andy Gray - 18
Christian Bassila - 31
Daryl Murphy - 16 |
| Substitutions |
G Horsfield for J Inamoto
(69)
S Nicholson for N Ellington (79)
R Chaplow for R Wallwork (86) |
C Bassila for A Le
Tallec (76)
A Gray for J Stead (86)
N Nosworthy for L Lawrence (90) |
| Yellow Cards |
None |
Steven Caldwell (46)
Gary Breen (61)
Tommy Miller (84) |
| Red Cards |
None |
None |
| Referee |
P Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent) |
The comments that can
be applied to this game from Albion's point of view range from unlucky
to unacceptable and, while there was an element of both that brought
about the eventual result, it is the latter that most Albion fans
will apply to the game. This was a desperately disappointing performance
and a dreadful result that represents a missed opportunity on a
day when other results more or less went our way. A victory would
have pulled the club six points clear of the bottom three - defeat
means that if Birmingham win their game in hand, they would move
above Albion on goal difference.
The unlucky side of it was in the nature of the goal. Carter was
fouled on the half way line, but that was ignored by the referee
and Sunderland broke away. Le Tallec got into the box and as he
was about to shoot, Paul Robinson came in with what looked like
a crucial challenge, but the ball deflected off Steve Watson who
was about to block the shot, wrong-footed Kuszczak and trickled
into the net.
It's difficult to say that Sunderland deserved the win, although
Mick McCarthy has been ruing their luck all season, but it's equally
difficult to say that Albion were worthy of the three points either.
It was a dire game that offered little in the way of entertainment
for the television audience but is one that could have dire consequences
for Albion's season.
The first half started OK for Albion although they never seemed
able to get into any sort of rhythm. Without the creative skills
of Kanu, Gera or Kamara, there seemed little invention, and it was
perhaps indicative of the performance that it was Ronnie Wallwork
that came closest to scoring when his short from twenty yards was
pushed around the post by Kelvin Davis. Wallwork was easily Albion's
best player on the field as he bit into every tackle, read what
little danger Sunderland offered well, and used the ball intelligently.
Those around him were less effective. Since Christmas, Junichi Inamoto
has consistently failed to produce the form that saw him return
to the first team with a bang in October; he is prone to give the
ball away time and time again and has not been able to reproduce
the driving runs forward that were a feature of his game in the
late Autumn. Darren Carter has rarely shown why he was worth the
£1.5 million we paid for him and, against Sunderland, he was
once again well below the standard we expect.
The biggest disappointment at the moment is Nathan Ellington. After
a slow start to his Albion career, he exploded into life with four
goals in three games in November, but he has now gone ten games
without a goal and, barring an impressive performance against Spurs,
he has looked a shadow of the player he was. Against the Mackems,
nothing worked for him as continually lost control of the ball and
ran down blind alleys - in the second half, he seemed disillusioned
and disinterested.
Ellington's strike partner, on the other hand, put in one of his
best performances of the season for Albion. He held the ball up
well, bringing midfielders into the attack, and was a constant threat
to the Sunderland central defensive partnership producing a number
of dangerous flick-ons. Unfortunately, Ellington seemed lost and
was either challenging for the same ball or running the wrong way
- rarely did he read Campbell's flicks.
The other positive to take from the game was the performance of
Jonathan Greening, who was much improved in comparison with the
displays we have seen most of the season. In the first half, in
particular, he showed much of the skill and drive that made him
one of the most consistent performers last season.
Ultimately, however, with Carter, Inamoto and Ellington well below
par, Albion's attacks were breaking up far too easily and they rarely
threatened the Sunderland goal. The visitors were no better and
it needed a fluke to break the deadlock at either end.
The absences of Gera, Kanu and Kamara have left Albion with little
creative spark, and with Inamoto and Ellington playing so poorly,
it leaves Robson with few options. Earnshaw is obviously not interested
in playing for the club any more which leaves Chaplow and Horsfield
as the only real options, other than youth players. They were both
introduced, but perhaps too late to make much of an impact.
The result may have given Sunderland hope, but I doubt very much
that it will save their season. For Albion, however, it is more
serious and it leaves them probably needing to win two of their
next three games to keep themselves clear of trouble. Based on recent
performances, that seems unlikely, but we have seen this team play
better and they now need to reproduce that good form quickly.
It remains to be seen whether the ten-day break will do the team
good, but perhaps Kanu or Gera may be fit to play by then, and with
luck, there may be one or two additions to the squad.
Marks
Tomasz Kuszczak - 7 - Little to do but did it well; no chance with
the goal.
Martin Albrechtsen - 7 - Got forward well; one of Albion's very
few outlets.
Curtis Davies - 6 - A decent performance from Curtis, but one or
two dodgy moments.
Steve Watson - 5 - Has played better; unlucky with the goal.
Paul Robinson - 6 - Did little wrong, but seems to be trying too
hard at the moment.
Ronnie Wallwork - 8 - MOM. Excellent performance from Ronnie.
Darren Carter - 4 - Once again, offered little.
Jonathan Greening - 7 - Much improved performance.
Junichi Inamoto - 4 - Another poor performance.
Nathan Ellington - 3 - Another nightmare.
Kevin Campbell - 7 - Good strong display.
Geoff Horsfield - 6 - One or two excellent touches; had little support.
Stuart Nicholson - 6 - Looked enthusiastic but little end product.
Richard Chaplow - 6 - Had little time to make an impact but did
OK.
Bryan Robson - 6 - He has few choices at the moment and his players
are letting him down, but he should be looking to change things
earlier.
Jon Want, 22nd January 2006.
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