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My
views on each match were recorded in the match reports, but this
is an overall view on my thoughts and memories as I look back on
Albion's second Premiership season.
|
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
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August 2004
Won 0 Drew 3 Lost 1.
Blackburn (A) 1-1, Aston Villa (H) 1-1, Tottenham (H) 1-1, Everton
(A) 1-2.
With Jonathan Greening, Nwankwo Kanu, Martin Albrechtsen, Riccardo
Scimeca, Tomasz Kuszczak, Darren Purse and Zoltan Gera on board,
there was a feeling that Albion could compete in the Premiership
this time around. When the season kicked off, Megson was still searching
for another striker, but I had a genuine belief that there were
the makings of a decent squad at the Hawthorns. In that first game
at Ewood Park, the signs were good. Albion looked comfortable and
took the lead through Neil Clement, and Baggies fans were pinching
themselves as Kanu showed some superb skills - it looked like the
promise of things to come.
Villa were the first opponents at the Hawthorns and, despite going
behind to an early goal, Albion dominated the game and really should
have got all three points. The following Tuesday, the signs remained
good as Zoltan Gera announced himself to the Albion faithful with
a fine goal three minutes into his full debut. Spurs came back into
the game and were arguably the better side, but after three games,
Albion were unbeaten and comfortably in mid-table.
There was a little concern in that Albion hadn't yet registered
a win, but a trip to Goodison Park was seen as a good opportunity.
Everton were in apparent turmoil following the acrimonious departure
of Wayne Rooney, and although a heavy opening day defeat by Arsenal
had been mitigated by a win at Crystal Palace, I felt that Albion
were capable of beating the Toffees. Moreover, after watching the
game, I maintained that belief. There was not much to choose between
the sides on the day, and the game was decided in the second half
when slack marking allowed Liam Osman to grab his second goal of
the game. The other notable event of that match was that it produced
Scott Dobie's last goal for the Baggies.
Two days later, after failing to sign Mateja Kezman and Aruna Dindane,
Megson finally captured a striker in the person of Welsh international,
Robert Earnshaw, for £3 million. On transfer deadline day, Romanian
full back Cosmin Contra and Japanese international Junichi Inamoto
both signed bringing Albion's summer imports to ten. Ina was still
recovering from injury but the deal was that Albion paid nothing
should he not make the first team squad by the end of the year.
So at the end of the month, there were no wins on the board, but
plenty to be optimistic about.
^ Back to Top
September
2004
Won 0 Drew 1 Lost 3.
Liverpool (A) 0-3, Fulham (H) 1-1, Colchester (A) 1-2 (CC2), Newcastle
(A) 1-3.
And then it all started to go wrong. With a break for international
football, Earnie had to wait almost a fortnight for his Albion debut,
but if he thought he would walk into the side, he was wrong. Mind
you, I don't think anyone could have foreseen the side that Megson
picked at Anfield. Two years previously, a much weaker Albion side
went to Liverpool and gave them a bloody good game. This time, Megson
decided to pick a team without an ounce of creativity in a midfield
that included two defenders - Clement and Haas. The result was a
disaster as Liverpool overran Albion and won at a canter - Earnie
made his debut from the bench in the second half, but by then the
game was lost.
Earnie made his full debut at home to Fulham a week later. It was
a bad tempered affair which saw three sendings-off and was little
in the way of a football spectacle. Clement was in midfield once
again but Albion were the better side for much of the game. Earnie
had the chance to mark his full debut with a goal from the penalty
spot, but he blazed over with Van der Sar yards off his line, and
it was Fulham that took the lead with 18 minutes to go. Kanu scored
his first Albion goal with a late equaliser, but Albion remained
without a win with a tough trip to Newcastle to come.
Before that was a trip to Layer Road in the Carling Cup. Megson
bemused everyone again by switching back to a 5-3-2 formation with
Cosmin Contra at wing back and Artim Sakiri in the squad for the
first time this season. Albion were simply dreadful and were fortunate
to take the game to extra time - a chance to get some sort of confidence
with a win was gone.
Once again, nothing went for the Baggies when they visited St James's
Park. Newcastle dominated possession but Albion were holding their
own until Purse was dismissed for a second yellow card. There looked
to be a little more solidity in the defence until that fateful moment
- after that point, Newcastle outplayed Albion scoring three goals
in sixteen minutes before Horsfield grabbed his first of the season
with a late consolation.
Albion ended September still without a win lying in 18th place with
four points from seven games, and they had been humiliated in the
Carling Cup. Earnshaw had failed to make the hoped-for impact and
he looked out of his depth at Newcastle. The Liverpool and Colchester
games had cast serious doubts on Megson's team selection and tactics,
but Albion now had three winnable games against Bolton, Norwich
and Crystal Palace.
^ Back to Top
October
2004
Won 1 Drew 1 Lost 2
Bolton (H) 2-1, Norwich (H) 0-0, Crystal Palace (A) 0-3, Chelsea
(H) 1-4
When Bolton visited the Hawthorns at the beginning of October, they
were sitting in what we all believed was a false position of 4th.
Their eventual finishing position of 6th suggests that this was
not the case, and it also proves what a good result the victory
was. Megson made several changes, one forced due to the suspension
of Darren Purse, but Clement and Robinson also missed out with Martin
Albrechtsen taking the left back berth. Big Dave came in a performed
well in the middle of defence, but it was Zoltan Gera that stole
the show with an outstanding display. He made one and scored one
as Albion took a rare 2-0 lead which, despite a goal from Stelios
to make things interesting, they held onto for their first league
win.
That moved Albion up to 15th place and they had an ideal opportunity
to push on with a home game against 19th-placed Norwich after the
international break. Unfortunately, they failed to take it. The
players failed to produce the same intensity of performance that
they did against Bolton, and although their first clean sheet of
the season was achieved, Norwich were the better side.
If we thought that was bad, what happened at Selhurst Park a week
later was ten times worse. Jonathan Greening, Albion's most consistent
performer, was inexplicably left out of the starting line-up - the
words that came out after the game suggested a falling out with
Megson was to blame - and the manager also opted to play a 3-5-2
formation which had failed so spectacularly at Colchester. The Baggies
were utterly dreadful. Defensive disorganisation saw them go two
down early on after which Megson acknowledged his mistake by bringing
on Greening. It was too late and Andy Johnson finished off Albion
with his second goal just after the break.
After the game, Megson announced that he had cancelled training
twice due to lack of application by the players, and later that
week said that he would not be staying at the Hawthorns beyond the
end of the season. Jeremy Peace may have been considering Megson's
position anyway (I would have been), but by saying that he would
leave at the end of the season, Gary left the chairman with no choice
but to replace him.
It was sad to see a man that had done so much to change the fortunes
of this club leave in such acrimonious circumstances, but Megson's
unshakeable belief that he is always right, a trait on which much
of his success had been based, was never going to work with the
intelligent players that a Premiership club needs. In my opinion,
that is the main reason why he had to go.
Peace put Frank Burrows in temporary charge of first team affairs
and then turned his attention to finding a successor. Burrows first
game was against Chelsea, and noone expected anything other than
a win for the visitors. Although that was what ultimately happened,
it looked far from assured in the first half when Chelsea looked
disjointed and Albion held their own. A goal from Gallas just before
the break saw the visitors go in one up, but remarkable Gera equalised
early in the second half, one of only fifteen goals that Chelsea
conceded this season. But the change that Mourinho made at half
time was decisive - he replaced Joe Cole with Arjen Robben. It was
only the Dutchman's second Premiership appearance, and completely
transformed the game. The visitors ran out easy winners and it's
frightening to think how many goals Chelsea would have scored this
season had Robben and Duff remained fit throughout.
October had proved to be an incident-packed month for the Baggies
- they achieved their first win at the start but ended it without
a manager. They were lying in 17th place with just eight points,
a point clear of the relegation zone.
^ Back to Top
November
2004
Won 0 Drew 2 Lost 2
Southampton (A) 2-2, Middlesbrough (H) 1-2, Arsenal (A) 1-1, Man
Utd (H) 0-3
With former Saints managers Glenn Hoddle and Gordon Strachan both
linked with the manager's job, it was caretaker Frank Burrows who
remained in charge for the trip to the south coast and another crucial
game against fellow strugglers Southampton. Robert Earnshaw will
remember that day more than most as he scored two quick goals just
before half time to turn around an early deficit for the Baggies.
In the second half, Albion started to drop deeper to protect their
lead but it was a lucky deflection off Robinson that denied them
their first away win.
Three days after the game at St Mary's, former Albion hero Bryan
Robson was appointed as the new manager. Many felt that this was
the wrong decision, some because they felt he had failed at 'Boro,
others because they hadn't forgiven his defection to Man Utd 23
years earlier. Nonetheless, Peace had made his choice and would
live or die by the consequences.
As irony would have it, Robson's first game in charge was against
his former club, Middlesbrough. 'Boro fans still held a lot of respect
for Robbo and he was warmly welcomed by all sides of the ground.
The starting line-up showed a few changes with Clement back at left
back, Greening in central midfield and Cosmin Contra given a first
Premiership start on the right side of midfield, whereas the substitute's
bench had a very attacking look about it, something that Robson
continued throughout the season. Contra took his chance well and
showed some great skills in the box to set up Earnie for Albion's
equaliser. The main difference was the way the team approached the
game - they played with a newly found fluidity and attacked as a
unit with good support from midfield, something that was always
lacking under Megson. The game will, of course, be remembered for
the astonishing injury time miss from Kanu, which the Sky cameras
were on hand to broadcast to the nation, but I saw some very positive
signs.
A week later, there were more positives as Robson picked up his
first point as Albion manager, and unlikely one at Highbury. Robson
surprised us all with a first appearance of the season for the forgotten
man, Macedonian captain Artim Sakiri, but it was his tactics that
impressed me most. He played with Gera just behind Kanu, and set
the team out to pack the midfield and frustrate Arsenal's passing
game. It worked for long periods but, when Hoult let in a soft goal
from Pires, the hard work looked to have been undone. But Albion
remained solid and got their reward with a late equaliser from Earnshaw.
Earnie had found his scoring boots with four in three games and
the overall signs were looking positive. But Albion had dropped
to 19th place and faced Man Utd in their next game.
Robson stuck with the 4-4-1-1 formation, and Sakiri kept his place,
but with Kanu injured, it was Earnshaw that played as the lone striker.
That was probably Robson's first tactical error as Earnie proved
ineffective in that role. As it was, United played well and ran
out comfortable 3-0 winners with Albion never really threatening.
In hindsight, I think Robson learned a lot from that game because,
despite the success of the tactic at Highbury, he never played with
a lone striker again - he always opted to try to put sides under
pressure with two or three strikers, and it ultimately had more
success.
So at the end of November, Albion found themselves bottom of the
table but with three winnable games in December, optimism remained
high.
^ Back to Top
December
2004
Won 0 Drew 1 Lost 4
Portsmouth (A) 2-3, Charlton (H) 0-1, Birmingham (A) 0-4, Liverpool
(A) 0-5, Man City (A) 1-1
Disastrous December. It looked to be starting brightly, and it ended
with an outrageous piece of luck, but in between it was truly awful.
At Fratton Park, Albion attacked well but defended appallingly and
ended up losing the game to two goals in the last five minutes.
It was a body blow that took the players the rest of the month to
get over. When Earnie put Albion ahead on the stroke of half time,
it looked promising and they looked comfortable for most of the
second half. But two lapses of concentration gave the points to
Pompey and left Albion two points adrift at the bottom of the table.
One notable statistic from that game is that it saw Sakiri's last
appearance of the season - two starts against Arsenal and Man Utd,
a substitute appearance at Pompey and then he disappeared - a bit
of a mystery that one.
There was a good chance for the players to redeem themselves when
Charlton visited the Hawthorns a week later. If Albion could produce
a display with the same intensity as they had against 'Boro, Charlton
could be beaten. As it was, it was a dreadful performance and a
poor Charlton side won it with a first half goal from Matt Holland.
But it got worse.
Robson came in for a lot of criticism at St Andrew's as Albion put
in another inept display and were thumped 4-0. Robbo's team selection
was bizarre - he was obviously not sure of his best central defensive
partnership but how Scimeca was ever considered for that position,
I'll never know. Earnie was dropped and was not brought on until
half time even though Albion were 3-0 down after half an hour. It
was an awful day, but it did mark the first appearance of the season
for another forgotten man, Ronnie Wallwork, and thankfully the last
appearance for Bernt Haas.
That result meant that Albion were bottom at Christmas, a position
that no Premiership team had escaped from before. There was little
Christmas cheer on Boxing Day when Liverpool visited and went away
with an easy 5-0 win. In the first half, Albion just about held
their own but it all went horribly wrong just before half time.
Cosmin Contra, the man who'd impressed so much against 'Boro but
had been robbed of a run in the side by injury, returned to the
starting line-up but decided to play as a second goalkeeper an was
sent off. Hoult saved the penalty but Liverpool ran away with it
in the second half - Albion simply couldn't cope with the movement
of the Liverpool players and were thoroughly embarrassed.
In a season that had many low points, and there were a few more
to come yet, this was the lowest. The last game of 2004 was a difficult
trip to the City of Manchester Stadium, one that was made much more
difficult when Gaardsoe was sent off just 17 minutes in. City dominated,
scored through Anelka, but failed to get the second goal. The Albion
defenders worked tirelessly and never gave up despite the fact that
there were no signs that anything would happen at the other end.
With five minutes left, they got their reward. A long ball over
the top in search of substitute Earnshaw, dropped over the shoulder
of Richard Dunne and hit him on the knee, which diverted the ball
past the on-rushing David James. Earnie sprinted to try and nudge
the ball over the line, a chase he lost, but Albion had an unlikely
point.
At the time, I hoped that might be a season-changing result, and
I think it was. It ended a run of five defeats and it was game number
20, the first game of the second half of the season and it was Wallwork's
first start. Albion remained three points adrift at the bottom of
the table with little hope of survival, but there was a ray of hope
as we went into the New Year.
^ Back to Top
January
2005
Won 2 Drew 3 Lost 1
Bolton (A) 1-1, Newcastle (H) 0-0, Preston (A) 2-0 (FAC3), Fulham
(A) 0-1, Man City (H) 2-0, Tottenham (H) 1-1 (FAC4)
A New Year with new hope. At a rain washed Reebok on New Year's
Day, Clement played in the centre of defence for the first time
this season and Wallwork continued in his defensive midfield role.
Zoltan Gera gave Albion a first half lead against a Bolton side
that were on a run of six straight defeats. Could Albion's second
win of the season complete the double over Bolton. It was not to
be as Diouf scored with five minutes to go, but Albion were on an
unbeaten run.
That run was extended two days later when Newcastle visited the
Hawthorns for another televised game. The Toon were missing several
key players and it was a game Albion could have won. Robson thought
so and went with a 4-3-3 formation which saw Albion create some
excellent opportunities - none were taken, but the Baggies could
be satisfied with another point.
With the transfer window open, Robson had the opportunity to strengthen
the squad, although attracting players to a club in Albion's position
would never be easy. Having said that, Robson's stature in the game
would make it a little easier. As well as seeing where Albion needed
to strengthen, Robbo had also identified a few players who were
not in his plans. Haas and Sakiri were both transfer-listed and,
surprisingly, a fit again Junichi Inamoto was sent on loan to Cardiff
City to get some match fitness.
One player whose future at the Hawthorns seemed in doubt was Jason
Koumas. Having missed the start of the season through suspension,
his form had been poor when he did get into the side. Megson dropped
him and, despite making the bench several times, Robson was yet
to give him an appearance. His chance came in the FA Cup at Preston
when he came on with 17 minutes left. His cross was converted by
Earnshaw for the first goal, and a second for Earnie late on gave
Robson his first win as Baggies manager. Preston's form since that
game to reach the play-off final indicates what a potential banana
skin that game was, but it was one that the new Albion negotiated
with relative ease.
The following week saw the first real action in the transfer market.
Argentinian international Matias Almeyda had been expected to join
in early January but was to prove elusive as he opted to return
to his homeland. As it was, veteran striker Kevin Campbell was Robson's
first signing on a free transfer from Everton, and he made his debut
in the televised game at Fulham. It was a game that Albion dominated,
one in which Andy Johnson shone (who'd have thought it?) and then
got injured, but one which left most Baggies fans thinking that
we would never get any luck in this league. Papa Bouba Diop's late
winner was completely undeserved and it was difficult to remain
positive despite the many plus points in the game. Campbell was
impressive on his debut, Robinson was proving to be a revelation
under Robson as he had a storming game at left back and Ronnie Wallwork
was turning himself into a crowd favourite.
But six days later, Robson had his first league win. It was yet
another televised game, a 5.15pm kick off, and with Albion's three
main relegation rivals picking up points earlier in the day, it
was a must win for the Baggies just to stay in touch. The team produced
an excellent performance with only Earnshaw not producing the goods.
Campbell scored his first Baggies goal on his home debut and Wallwork
capped a man-of-the-match performance with a second goal late on.
It was the first game that Albion had won in the Premiership by
more than one goal, and it was another turning point.
Nonetheless, Albion were still bottom of the table some five points
adrift of 17th-placed Crystal Palace with the next two league games
against Norwich and Palace themselves.
Before that, there was a Cup match against Spurs to deal with. Albion
were the better side and took a deserved lead through Earnshaw,
but a Defoe penalty brought the visitors level. Albion had the chances
to win the game, but Spurs held on for the replay.
As the transfer window closed, Albion made another two signings
with Kieran Richardson joining on loan from Man Utd, and 19-year-old
Richard Chaplow joining from Burnley for £1.5 million. Two impressive
signings that gave Baggies fans further hope that they could escape
the mire.
^ Back to Top
February
2005
Won 0 Drew 2 Lost 2
Crystal Palace (H) 2-2, Norwich (A) 2-3, Tottenham (A) 1-3 (FAC4R),
Southampton (H) 0-0
The draw against Spurs meant that Albion's three league games in
February were against their main relegation rivals. Three massive
games that, if won, could propel the Baggies out of the bottom three
and, with luck, on to a comfortable mid-table finish. That was the
theory, anyway.
Iain Dowie's Crystal Palace visited the Hawthorns on the first of
the month. The previous meeting had been Megson's last in charge
of Albion, and the victory for Palace had put them level on points
with the Baggies. The south London club had fared better in the
intervening months and were five points ahead of their hosts. It
proved to be a dramatic game. Albion dominated possession in the
first half but a dreadful error allowed the prolific Andy Johnson
to put the visitors ahead - it was Purse that ducked under the ball
and took the blame, although reports suggested that Clem told him
to leave it. Kieran Richardson came on as a substitute for his debut,
but it was Gera that eventually unlocked the Palace defence when
his cross was parried but fell to Campbell who bundled the ball
home. Earnie looked to have won it when he scored in injury time
but, a long free kick launched into the box fell kindly for Palace
and Riihilahti managed to poke the ball home.
It was a devastating blow, but worse was to come. At Carrow Road
a few days later, Albion were once again the better side. Earnie
put them ahead, only for a mistake by Hoult just before half time
to allow the home side to equalise. Richardson scored on his full
debut just after the break and Albion looked set for the win, but
a mistake by Purse allowed Doherty to equalise and a fine strike
by Francis won it for the Canaries. Albion had deserved the points
but defensive frailties were costly once again - Purse took the
fall and he never played again all season.
Six points had been there for the taking, but only one was won -
suddenly, it didn't look as though the escape was going to happen.
Albion battled well at White Hart Lane in the Cup replay, dominating
the first half, but a combination of dubious refereeing decisions
and some excellent finishing by Jermain Defoe meant that it was
the home side that went through to the fifth round. With Jonathan
Greening suspended, Andy Johnson injured and the two new boys cup-tied,
Jason Koumas had a chance to prove himself to Robson - unfortunately,
he didn't take it as he failed to make any sort of impact on the
game.
Although Albion weren't picking up the results they needed, neither
were their relegation rivals. Other than the three points that Norwich
got against the Baggies, none of Southampton, Palace or Norwich
had won in February when the Saints came to the Hawthorns in the
22nd. Southampton had surrendered a lead in injury time in their
last match against Everton and were just two points ahead of the
Baggies when they met.
It was a disappointing performance from Albion, particularly given
recent displays, and they were lucky to get away with a point. Koumas
was given a last chance to impress from the bench, but did nothing
- that was the last we saw of the man formerly known as the Welsh
Wizard.
So the three massive games had yielded just two points, and Albion
remained bottom and four points off safety. It looked like the chance
had gone, although the poor form of everyone else meant that there
was still a chance. By the end of the month, that gap had extended
to seven points when Palace won as Albion sat out the weekend -
they had been due to play Chelsea, but they were winning the Carling
Cup at the time.
^ Back to Top
March
2005
Won 2 Drew 0 Lost 1
Birmingham (H) 2-0, Chelsea (A) 0-1, Charlton (A) 4-1
Albion's first game in March was at home to Birmingham City - the
vagaries of the fixture list meant that this was their only home
game in March, and they would only have one more home game in the
following six games. That, coupled with Southampton beating Liverpool
and Palace drawing with Man Utd the day before, meant that this
was a must win game.
And win it they did. They played some great stuff in the first half,
but failed to take their chances. But shortly after the break, a
piece of play that epitomised Zoltan Gera directly led to the opening
goal. A ball from Albrechtsen was woefully over hit, but the Hungarian
failed to give it up. He managed to stop it on the goal line with
a slide, and then picked himself up to challenge Lazaridis and win
the corner. Clement headed in from that corner and, when Campbell
made it two eleven minutes later, the points were won.
The expected defeat at Stamford Bridge came about, but not before
Robbo had shocked everyone with a 4-3-3 line-up, and not before
Didier Drogba had missed a hatful of chances. Chelsea may have deserved
to have won handsomely, but a 1-0 defeat meant that Albion lost
no confidence as they looked forward to a trip to the Valley.
Charlton had beaten Spurs comfortably in the midweek before the
game, and were showing no signs of their traditional end of season
slump. TIme to kick-start it then. Albion pulled their free coaches
out ensuring a full complement of away fans who proceeded to cheer
the Baggies to their biggest ever Premiership win. Albion were the
better side throughout but it took a history-making hat-trick from
substitute Robert Earnshaw to seal the points. The game also marked
a brief debut for Richard Chaplow, who won the late penalty.
Chelsea and Norwich both lost that day and, while Southampton spoiled
it a little by winning at 'Boro on the Sunday, March had been a
good month (Albion were second in the form table) which saw them
move off the bottom and to within just three points of safety. The
Great Escape was back on.
^ Back to Top
April
2005
Won 1 Drew 3 Lost 1
Everton (H) 1-0, Aston Villa (A) 1-1, Tottenham (A) 1-1, Middlesbrough
(A) 0-4, Blackburn (H) 1-1
On 2nd April, Norwich, Southampton and Palace all lost giving Albion
the chance to move level with 17th placed Southampton if they could
beat Champions League chasing Everton. The signs were good - Everton
may have been in 4th place, but their form since the turn of the
year had been poor and they had just lost a crucial Merseyside derby.
The game itself was a battle with Everton's five-man midfield intent
on stifling football rather than produce it. Albion were determined
and it was a moment of pure quality that decided the game - a wonderful
cross by Greening met by an equally wonderful header from Gera.
It was a massive result and, as Albion looked at the fixture list
and the expected safety total of 36 points, it looked very possible.
Nest stop, Villa Park for the first of three tough away games. A
defeat for Southampton the day before meant that the Baggies could
move out of the bottom three with a point, at least until the Everton-Palace
result later that afternoon. Villa were excellent in the first half
and deservedly took the lead, but Robson made a tactical switch
the match Villa's diamond midfield at half time, and Albion looked
much better after the break. But the equaliser wouldn't come and
it looked like Albion would be making the short trip home without
a point, but up pops Paul Robinson in injury to head home the equaliser
and send the visiting fans into raptures.
Palace's heavy defeat at Goodison meant that Albion remained out
of the bottom three for at least a week. With Blackburn in the FA
Cup semi-final, Albion didn't have a game the following weekend,
but looked on with glee as Southampton surrendered a 2-0 lead against
Villa to lose 3-2, and Palace and Norwich shared a 3-3 draw - could
things be going our way at last?
Southampton's draw at Bolton the following Tuesday meant that Albion
were back in the bottom three when they went to White Hart Lane
again. The fourth meeting between the sides this season ended like
two of the other three in a 1-1 draw. It was a fair result and,
with Palace losing, they were back in 17th spot. Eyes were turning
towards Norfolk, though. Having kicked off an unlikely revival with
a 2-0 win over Man Utd a few weeks before, Norwich beat Newcastle
2-1 at Carrow Road and were now just two points behind Albion.
The club used the free coaches trick once again for the trip to
'Boro and, while it succeeded in getting a full allocation of fans,
it didn't produce the victory this time. Albion could've been 3-0
up inside ten minutes but instead were 3-0 down by half time. The
eventual 4-0 defeat was not only a body blow, but it also severely
damaged Albion's goal difference which could have proven crucial
come the end of the season.
That weekend, the results didn't all go Albion's way - Norwich and
Palace both won pushing Albion down to 19th place, although Pompey
thrashed Southampton the following day to keep the Saints at the
foot of the Premiership.
However, Albion did have a crucial game in hand, and that was played
on the following Tuesday against Blackburn. Rovers had struggled
early in the season and, after Souness left them for Newcastle,
it took Mark Hughes a while to get them out of trouble. By late
April, they were clear of the drop zone but had a reputation for
dour, physical and unattractive football with a very solid defence.
The real worry was that Albion wouldn't break them down, but when
Richardson scored a wonderful free kick in the first half, it looked
like the win might come. However, the pressure of the situation
got to the players and they began to look edgy in the second half.
Sloppy defending allowed Rovers to score an equaliser and a big
opportunity was gone.
Those two points looked crucial. Albion had Arsenal and Man Utd
in their next two games and remained in the bottom three level on
points with Palace. It looked like a bridge too far.
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May
2005
Won 1 Drew 1 Lost 1
Arsenal (H) 0-2, Man Utd (A) 1-1, Portsmouth (H) 2-0
With Albion's game moved to the Monday evening, they watched their
relegation rivals play over the weekend. Palace managed to get a
point at St James's Park while Southampton and Norwich played out
a thriller that Saints eventually won 4-3. Albion put up a good
fight against Arsenal, but by this stage of the season, they had
overcome their earlier problems and were playing some sublime football.
The Gunners 2-0 win meant that Albion could be relegated before
they kicked another ball.
Saturday 7th May was almost as miraculous as Sunday 15th May for
the Baggies. Palace were hosting Southampton, Norwich were at home
to Birmingham. Albion's game at Old Trafford was scheduled for a
5.15pm kick off. Thousands of Albion fans watched Sky's Soccer Saturday
in the pubs of Manchester knowing that if wither Palace or Southampton
won, Albion would be relegated. Most were already walking to the
stadium when Danny Higginbotham's equaliser went in, but it meant
there was a party atmosphere in one corner of Old Trafford at kick
off. The game itself was full of incident, most of it around Albion's
penalty area. Hoult pulled a muscle when preventing an own goal,
but his injury meant that he could keep out a quick free kick from
Giggs midway through the first half. On comes our Pole in Goal,
Tomasz Kuszczak, and he proceeds to make a number of miraculous
saved to keep Albion in the game. The true miracle came after 63
minutes when Mark Halsey awarded Albion a penalty on a rare attack
- Earnie converted and Albion held on, and were even audacious enough
to claim a second penalty.
That precious point meant that the maths for Albion were simple
on the last day. They had to win and hope that neither Palace, Norwich
or Southampton got three points. Another miracle saw that scenario
come true, and West Bromwich Albion had completed the Greatest Escape
to survive in the Premiership for another season.
Lord Gary is gone but not forgotten, King Bryan rules!
Boing Boing!!
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