Blackburn Rovers 0 - West Bromwich Albion 0

Brendan Clegg:

A decent performance to round off the season. 36 points would have been enough in the end and despite our obvious faults we weren't too far away from that. It's a bit of a shame that the team as it is at the moment is going down. It certainly isn't the worst in the league, I don't think it's one the third worst in the league and I just hope we can keep it together.

I think the period that killed us was probably just after Xmas when Greening and Olsson were out and we didn't quite have the quality to cover for them. 4 points extra points from those 11 games would have been enough, and it wasn't just the period that those players we out, but the time it took for us to gain momentum again.

Today we, quite typically now, looked like a comfortable Premier League side. We passed the ball well, created chances that we really should have scored from (Greening and Fortune guilty of absolute sitters) and generally played well. Our defence was rarely troubled. Kiely seemed solid enough, Donk seemed a bit casual but then he always looks like that- their opportunities mostly came from him standing off. We probably won the midfield battle, although you do have to admire Tugay's ability to keep the ball, and managed to be a threat in the final third.

I thought the Roberts sending off was very harsh, he seemed to just be standing his ground and letting Ollie know he was there, and Olsson didn't make a meal of it either.

There was no Mulumbu on the bench. Are we to read from that he wont be staying?

Marks -

• Kiely - 7 Made the necessary routine stops and was assured enough.
• Loon - 7 Another pretty good display. Looks to have found some consistency and is a top flight player no doubt.
• Ollie - 7 Excellent. Needs to sharpen up on when to play and when to pass but overall a bargain.
• Donk - 6 If you could drum some urgency into him I think he'd have huge potential - has had some good and some bad games this year but a decent cover player.
• Robbo - 7 Pretty good game really.
• Brunt - 7 Always a threat. One of our nearly men who eventually found his feet and is now comfortable at this level. Great volley, unlucky not to score.
• Roko - 7 Constant energy, not quite got the goals necessary but also looks like he can play this level no problem.
• Valero - 7 Has taken him so long but is now showing his worth. If he thought this league was physical, he's going to have a rude awakening next year.
• Greening - 7 Caused them problems all afternoon but will have nightmares over the header miss. Another good season from our most consistent performer.
• The Argie - 6 Showed real quality in flashes and has pace to hurt teams.
• Fortune - 7 Yet another selfless performance of running and hard work. I really hope we can keep him.

Subs

• Not on long enough to do anything.

Of all the clubs, I was hoping 'Borough would somehow get out so that Ashley and his cronies were made to suffer and Phil Brown, a manager who often coaches from a moon orbiting his own ego, would be blessing Blackpool with an orange of his own. But it wasn't to be. Next year is going to be very tough but we are well run, the players and coaches know the league. I think we have as a good a chance as anyone to get promoted. Newcastle will be under massive pressure, Borough will have everyone leaving and there isn't a great deal of quality down there as proved by Wolves and Blues getting up with average sides.

18/1 for all 3 relegated sides to come back up - not bad odds.

For promoted teams into the Premier League, I think next year is a really good opportunity. The 3 that go up are poor, everyone knows about Stoke and Hull now, Sunderland, Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn are not great sides, West Ham and Portsmouth have got huge finance problems.

We're going to have to wait a bit longer but I think the long term rewards of building within our means, as we are, are not too far away.

Thanks to everyone else who has posted reports this year, we get crap media coverage so getting the thoughts of others, particularly when you can't make a game, is something I'm always grateful for (anyone else punctuate their holidays with an hour on baggies.com in an internet cafe thousands of miles away?). It will be even more so next year, as we have to make do with an weekly hour long show for the whole division as opposed to Football First coverage.

Dave Watkin:

Baggies bow out at Blackburn

The Baggies earned a creditable draw against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park but, on the back of a rare clean sheet, could have had all three points if they had taken just one of several reasonable chances created over the ninety minutes.

Fit again Paul Robinson resumed at left back, as Ryan Donk took over from Shelton Martis in the centre. In midfield Borja Valero was preferred to Youssouf Mulumbu.

The opening stages, played in spring sunshine, saw both sides have strikes on goal from distance. For Rovers, Samba struck a left footed drive over the bar, before Pedersen hit a wicked thirty yard free kick which Dean Kiely did very well, at full stretch, to tip around the foot of his left hand post. Albion responded with long range shots from Borja Valero and Brunt. Although the home side had struck the foot of a post early on through Samba, the shot of the game came just before the break when the visitors were desperately unlucky not to score. Marc-Antoine Fortun? played the ball off to Jonathan Greening who went past a defender before hitting a pinpoint left footed cross to the far post, which Chris Brunt met perfectly with an immaculate first time volley that had goal written all over it. Amazingly ex-England keeper Paul Robinson not only got his fingertips to this point-blank rising drive, but managed to deflect the ball onto the bar.

If Rovers had had the best of the opening half hour, then the Baggies shaded the last quarter of the first half and were then on top for much of the second period. They had good territorial advantage early on and just after the hour mark really should have taken the lead. Robert Koren did well to cross into the box from wide left and Fortun? made ground to get in front of his marker, but, with a clear opportunity, directed his header inches wide of the upright. In the 71st minute, Albion had an unexpected boost, courtesy of referee Mike Jones. With Blackburn building an attack and to the bewilderment of the crowd and most of the players, he strode towards ex-Albion striker, substitute Jason Roberts, brandishing a red card. The decision, as TV replays show, was for an elbow into the chest of Albion central defender Jonas Olsson. With a man advantage the Baggies had one glorious chance to take all three points. Chris Brunt swung in a right wing corner and found Greening at the far post with the goal at his mercy. A firm header on target would have been enough, but he nodded the ball weakly wide of the upright. Shortly afterwards came the final whistle and the end to our Premier League campaign.

It?s been said elsewhere, that in the latter stages of the season we?ve looked a comfortable Premier League side. Today we passed well, created chances and even looked strong defensively. Dean Kiely was very competent; Gianni Zuiverloon was probably the pick of the defenders, with Jonas Olsson not far behind. Chris Brunt was my top man in midfield although Borja Valero gave another good display. Juan Carlos Menseguez and Marc-Antoine Fortun? both played their part in attack. We could easily have achieved a rare away win, if we?d taken our chances, or if Paul Robinson had not pulled off what Match-of-the-Day were calling the ?save-of-the-season?.

The Albion fans were outstanding, showing support for the manager, perhaps misguided in the light of events since, and for the team. How many clubs would receive a standing ovation after being relegated three times in four top flight seasons?

The difference between survival and relegation was down to many things. Firstly, investment, a failure effectively to replace last season?s top scorer Kevin Phillips and player-of-the-season Zoltan Gera. Then a combination of soft goals conceded and missed chances. A little luck on the pitch might have helped, alongside fewer injuries to crucial players or a greater strength in depth. It?s a pity it took so long before we started to compete all over the pitch and look at home in the top flight. With hindsight, just a home win against Hull would have been sufficient, how frustrating is that?

STATISTICS

The 1990-91 season was one of the worst on record for Albion, as we dropped into the Third Division for the first and only time in our history. Yet we performed the double over Blackburn Rovers with an aggregate of 5-0 in our favour. At Ewood Park, on Saturday 16th February, we won 3-0, with a goal by Gary Robson and two from Don Goodman. Disappointingly, we?ve not won there since, but, including today, we?ve secured three draws from six League games.

ALBION FORMRATE: FAIR

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: CHRIS BRUNT

Today?s was the 928th consecutive competitive match that I?ve attended dating back to 1st April 1991. Extraordinarily, in that sequence we?ve won 344 matches, exactly the same number as we?ve lost! So my efforts have had no noticeable effect on results, unless you count the positive goal difference; 1251 scored to 1223 conceded.

bucksjim:

I (belatedly) agree totally with Brendan's points about the outcome, team, individual players, and above all the huge benefit for those of us who live a far distance away of the comments on each game - variable and argumentantive as they might be at times!! I also hope Glynis recovers to add that personal touch of before and after the game.