When does it hit you?
I've got to say there hasn't really been a boring season at The Hawthorns during this decade. Until now.
Because in all honestly can you see a way out for Tony Mowbray's men? Is this season as good as over and petering out into the biggest anti-climax?
Let's face it, if Albion don't beat Stoke then it's as good as finished. A win gives them hope but the fixtures coming up after that aren't kind. Spurs and Manchester City in their own manor will be different propositions to those who visited The Hawthorns in December. We all know what happens to Albion when Liverpool come to town and you would hope there is nothing significant for Blackburn to play for by the time the Baggies visit Ewood Park at the very end of the season. Portsmouth, Sunderland and Wigan? Perhaps that's where the wins will come from. Even then you're talking about three wins and maybe one against Stoke. Assuming that happens, I can't see 36 points being enough, unless Albion remain unbeaten in a few more games along the way.
Robert Koren and Scott Carson spoke after the Bolton game about still needing to win five games, how it wasn't over yet and how there is still hope. Mowbray likewise.
But Albion don't seem to have it in them to win another two or three games, let alone five. And even if they hit that kind of form then where are the Norwich, Crystal Palace and Southampton to bail them out?
I was asked this week by another journalist, from another newspaper to give Albion's strengths, weaknesses, the key game over the coming weeks and what I felt the bottom three would be. I struggled for 'strengths', needed more space to list all the 'weaknesses', was tempted to put the recent Newcastle at home as the 'key game' (but went for Stoke as it wasn't retrospective) and couldn't see beyond Albion, Middlesbrough and Hull for the bottom. Opinion may be split on Hull.
Albion wise, the pointing of fingers doesn't start yet. That day will come if the R appears and Albion's name is highlighted in a slightly different hue to the other Premier League teams.
I thought Bryan Robson's second season was poor but, in many ways, Albion suffered from a result of Portsmouth's stunning comeback from the dead. Robson made mistakes and you somehow felt that if he had done things a little bit differently tactically, such as playing two up front in games Albion needed to win, then results might have followed because there were enough spirited performers in that side. Yet no matter how much Tony Mowbray tinkers around with this current side, can you see where the fight will come from, with one or two notable exceptions?
This time I can only see one outcome.
Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic. Or merely jumping on board with the growing surge of opinion at the moment. Does anyone disagree?
And, fighting through all the hyperbole and spin, I can't help wondering whether some at the club share my view.
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Chris Lepkowski - Mail man Chris Lepkowski’s view of what’s going on at West Bromwich Albion FC.
Good blog Chris. I wont give up until it is mathematically impossible. I hasten to add last year Fulham looked dead and buried they were on 24 points after 33 games. How did they survive? Simple really. They won football matches. Dig up these stats..it might you want to believe until the next game? Maybe i'm an optimist..but i'd rather be that..then throw in the towel. Granted we dont know where the next win is coming from..but it's why we support Albion. We won't give up! TONY MOWBRAYS BARMY ARMY!!!!
Chris.
Hope alone won't save Albion i'm afraid. Be as patriotic as 'you' wish but for the VAST majority of supporters the plain truth is that they feel it would take an even 'Greater Escape' than last time to save us from the drop.
But in saying that...
"Come on you Baggies"
For me, losing at home to a very poor Newcastle United was the defining moment for our relegation.
Im sick of players and management coming out saying "where still in with a chance" or "Saturdays game is pivitol in our season" when everyone with a brain knows were down already.
I know they have to remain positive but its just very annoying.
Were simply not good enough.
Weaker that last season and thats tragic
For me 30% blame on Mowbray
70% on the chairman.
We cannot afford to massivley push the boat out but at some point we have to push on to stay in the division
We dont need to go the Leeds Uniuted way but a few more pounds spent to bring in the right players would reap the rewards
Instead, we have gone backwards as our neighbours from Birmingham and Wolverhampton take us over
Ask your self this question....taking your loyalty to the club away....whats the point of next season?
A push to get back to the Premier League for us to wave the white flg for the fourth time?
So very very despondant
This season has been a waste and we have surrendered our Premiership place far too easy with ambition, fight and no how lacking .
The fans have been let down big time and I feel we have the right to the answers from all concerned at WBA from the Chairman to the Manager. Tempers are at boiling point with the fans. Can not see them staying at that point for too long.
"Hope is the best thing. Maybe the best thing. And no good thing ever dies"
P.S. Hiya Chris L. Just wandering who know our PA announcer at The Hawthorns? Is it Dan Kelly from Galazy 102.2 Radio! Thanks..and BELIEVE! It's ingrained in you if your a Baggie! :)
In the last 9 years, including this, we have finished between 26th and 17th in the football pyramid. This defines us as a yo-yo club - without some change in structure and finances we will remain exactly that; we are too tightly (I won't say 'well') run to do a Leicester or Charlton, clubs of a similar status to us in this 'new' financially oriented football world.
Clubs that push the boat out, typically outperform for a year or two and then drop back to their level - Hull surely will do so, like Watford and Swindon have already.
Get used to it guys - there may be some impact at clubs with sugar daddies no longer putting in the big money like Pompey and Boro who have both slashed wage bills this year - that allows us to bob up further as they sink down, but I don't foresee a weakened team in Europa Lge fixture for a while yet!
Whilst we are not mathematically down and potentially we could do the same as Fulham did last year the performance when it mattered against an extremely poor Newcastle was the point where I had to accept that we were going down.
I don't agree that we are weaker than last year, apart from losing Ismael Miller which was a blow as he had just started to find his feet in the Premiership.
We really messed up right at the start of the season when we didn't get a quality replacement for Kevin Phillips, a decent quality defensive midfielder, and another seasoned pro in central defence.
Looking at that I can see where Mowbray may be coming from in that we are really only 3 players away from a decent mid table premiership side but the gulf in quality means that we are destined for another attempt at the championship.
Another failing at the club is really going to be the wage structure (and a possible reason that we haven't got the 3 above). Until we take the risk of paying for the greater quality and possibly not having the wage halved if relegated at least for those 3 players (who will in all likelihood leave anyway if we are relegated so no real worries there) we will probably always hover between the two divisions.
The biggest problem is that the longer we continue to lose out an income for the seasons not in the premiership the bigger the liklihood that we will not be competing when promoted thereby guaranteeing our fate.
I decided a long time ago enough was enough!
Yeah its Dan Kelly on the pitchside during the games this season, I heard him talking about it on his radio show