West Bromwich Albion 1 - Sheffield Wednesday 0

Dave Watkin:

Tenacious Throstles outlast Owls

Albion didn’t really hit top gear until the second half against Sheffield Wednesday at The Hawthorns; when we did, we won the game with a spectacular strike.

The Baggies made two changes. Graham Dorrans was recalled at the expense of Ben Watson and Luke Moore was selected in place of Simon Cox, who was not fully fit.

There were few clear-cut chances in the first half, when a hard working Wednesday side packed defence and Albion were forced into playing too many long hopeful balls forward. The only strike worthy of mention came when a left wing cross by Cech was helped on by Morrison to Chris Brunt. His overhead kick easily cleared the bar. The visitors were looking dangerous on the break and when Jermaine Johnson robbed Cech and advanced on goal we feared the worst. He attempted an audacious lob, but maybe hurried by the covering defender Gabriel Tamas, the chip was just over the bar. Olsson almost gifted the Owls another chance, but having lost the ball, he made a splendid recovering tackle. We went in at half time with the game capable of going either way.

We resumed with substitute Robert Koren on the right and Chris Brunt switched to the left to replace Thomas. The Baggies started to control the game more, but the chances didn’t begin to flow until after Ishmael Miller replaced Moore. Graham Dorrans curled the ball in from the left but keeper Grant got down quickly to block a powerful downward header from Jonas Olsson. Next it was Chris Brunt with an outswinger from the left and Ishmael Miller who rose to head downwards, but Grant managed to push the ball around the post. From the corner it was James Morrison who was frustrated by Grant, when his header was tipped over. The visitors then broke down the left, but Scott Carson came out quickly to smother their only shot on target. Keeper Lee Grant was having a stormer and when Graham Dorrans hammered a shot from distance he leapt to tip the ball over the crossbar. It was going to need something special to win the game and true enough, in the 79th minute, we scored what will surely prove to be our goal-of-the-season. We built from the back, Jonas Olsson feeding Youssouf Mulumbu who moved the ball on to James Morrison, who in turn laid it off to Robert Koren on the right touchline. He cut inside and from fully twenty-five yards fired a stupendous left footed shot which flew past the in-form keeper. Albion continued to press forward, with Giles Barnes on for his debut, and there was a relaxed finish to the game as the Brummie Road urged Koren to shoot every time he received possession.

It’s a well worn cliché that you have to earn the right to play and that was certainly the case in this game. The Owls worked hard to restrict the Baggies, but our extra class from the bench paid off. By the end of the game, statistics show we dominated possession, had over three times as many shots and five times the number of corners. All credit to the Manager; Luke Moore is probably not in his first three choices for the striking role, he may even wish to play two others up front, but with Bednar ruled out, Cox unfit and Miller not match-fit, he made best use of the squad. Moore held the ball up OK, but never threatened; however bringing on a fresh Ishmael Miller against a tiring defence turned the game our way. Di Matteo was perhaps fortunate with his other change, withdrawing an out of sorts Thomas forced him to play Robert Koren on the right and switch Chris Brunt left. I know Koren prefers to play in central midfield and that’s seems to be a cause of friction with the Manager, but I firmly believe that his best position is wide right, with of course the freedom to come inside.

Looking at individuals; Gabriel Tamas was probably the pick of the defence. The midfield duo of Youssouf Mulumbu and Graham Dorrans got better as the game went on, as did Chris Brunt, once he was switched to the left. Ishmael Miller lifts the team by his physical presence and willingness to take on defenders. However despite the efforts of the above, this game was won by that extra special strike and for that alone my man-of-the-match is Robert Koren.

STATISTICS

This was the Baggies first home victory over bogey side Sheffield Wednesday for 35 years (and a day!). Further, we completed a first double over the Owls since 1965/66, the season England won the World Cup. Then, at home on Saturday 4th September, we won 4-2, thanks to a hat-trick by Jeff Astle and one from John Kaye. At Hillsborough, Clive Clark and a Mobley own goal secured a 2-1 win. In total, we’ve only managed five doubles in 53 seasons; in comparison they’ve achieved the feat 14 times.

ALBION FORMRATE: GOOD ENOUGH

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: ROBERT KOREN

This was our game in hand over Nottingham Forest and victory takes us back into second place, two points ahead and with a superior goal difference. We’ve now got four out of our next six matches at home, Forest have the opposite, including a difficult trip to Newcastle. Can we establish a significant lead before the run-in?

Brendan Clegg:

Vital 3 points is all that mattered although we were pretty rubbish for long periods.

For me you have to question the manager again.

Luke Moore shouldn't be anywhere near the first team and as for playing up front on his own, we very nearly lost to Derby the last time RDM tried that so why did he think tonight would be any different?

It seems to me that 20,000 odd other people can see this and can also see that if we haven't got Bednar, Wood is the only player we have at the moment who can have a go at that role but the reality is that we probably need to go 442.

I like the 451 if we have Bednar but without him, as again this performance shows, it gives us nothing up front, our build up play suffers and we look pretty poor.

I also can't understand how you can expect James Morrison to be anything near ready for competitive football at this level after the time he had out. He spent most of last night wondering around like a little boy.

It's one thing being able to run properly again or 'fit', but as with Miller and Barnes, these players need about 10 full reserve or behind closed doors friendly games and the odd 15 minutes as a sub in the first team before they are anything like near ready to be strong enough physically or get their sharpness and awareness back.

Yes, because they have quality they may do the odd good thing in a real match now if they have time and space but for most of the time they are passengers - Mozza was brushed off the ball 4 or 5 times last night by the Wasp. It's not fair on the players themselves and it is to the detriment of the team. How Warnock must have rubbed his hands when he saw our midfield last week.

We were basically crap until Koren and Miller were introduced, after which we actually looked a threat and began to pass the ball rather than aimlessly hoofing it or trying to hit crossfield passes that were never going to come off and often put us in trouble.

Koren going wide right meant that Brunt had to go on the left wing. He looked lost for 10 minutes and then started to give us something we've been lacking all season - decent crosses in open play, a shame that it was Miller (has never been able to head the ball) on the end of them instead of Roman.

Koren's goal was worthy of winning any game and he should be starting every game. He has two below par performances and gets benched - how many other players have averaged half a season of poor performances yet stayed in the team? Without him our passing game falls to pieces.

Bednar has to be back in the team automatically and if he isn't fit, we should probably be looking at Cox and Miller (If we are going to insist on playing him) who may have the potential to gel.

• Carson - 6 Didn't have a lot to do, more down to their awful finishing then our defending.
• Reid - 6 He looks like a midfielder playing at fullback. Disciplined, doesn't get forward, tries ambitious passes that don't come off. Was solid in the air but suspect when run at. I would still pick the Loon here, get him coached and his confidence up and he gives us far more than he costs us.
• Tamas - 6 Solid enough. A few too many hoofs for my liking.
• Ollie - 6 Ditto, although nearly cost us with some overplaying on a pitch that looked tricky.
• Cech - 6 Didn't get forward as much as normal - 1 calamity moment where he covered well but then fell on his arse and gifted them a one-on-one but genrally OK.
• Brunt - 7 Best game in ages, purely through effort and workrate, the rest of his game then flowed. Needs to show that every week, not just against his old club.
• Mulumbu - 7 Probably just shaded the MOM for me with his biiiiiiiiiiiig tackles and being the only midfielder willing to have the ball off the back four.
• Dorrans - 6 Hid for large spells, onyl coming into the game late on. Needs to start taking games by the scruff of the neck.
• Mozza - 5 The odd nice touch but out of his depth at the moment and, in my opinion, has never been good/strong enough to play through the centre anyway.
• JT - 5 Is he fit? Didn't look like he wanted the ball and didn't want to take anyone on. HAs been crap in every game since his return.
• Moore - 4 Never moved more than 10 yards. Offside constantly. What is the point?

• Koren - 7 Gave us energy, movement and a great goal.
• Miller - 6 Gave us something up front but still way off where he can be.
• Barnes - 5 I think he'll be a great signing if we can get him properly fit but he managed one run in a straight line and gave the ball away.

Boverton Baggie:

This game can be classed as a hard won game against a poor team or a game of two halves. Albion fell into the trap of high long balls which was very negative and non productive. Moore tried hard. However, he was never going to beat Purse and co who were much taller and stronger. Jermaine Johnson of Wednesday was a handful for Olsson and Tamas, fortunately they managed to contain him. It was into the second half when Albion played passing football that if it was not for three good saves by the keeper from Olsson and Miller we would have been three goals to the good. Korens goal was superb, he should be in the starting line every week.

Albion now have the chance to capitalise on home games on consecutive weeks. Hopefully we can pull away from Forest and the chasing pack.

Stuart Russell:

The first half was certainly the worst 45 minutes I have witnessed this season with little to choose between two poor teams - except Wednesday kept the ball better. But after halftime, Roberto rang the changes, switching Brunt to his natural position on the left and bringing on Koren to replace the ineffective Thomas - and what a difference it made. Albion became transformed and the transformation was completed when Miller replaced the perennially disappointing Moore. Ish may not (yet) have Moore's control or positional sense but he exudes Menace in a way that Luke never will and immediately made the Wednesday defence nervous. Dorrans started looking like the player we know he is, Mulumbu was all over the midfield, tigerish in his ball-winning with vastly improved distribution, while Koren and Brunt ran the flanks. The winning goal was a screamer and although it finished of a nice three-man move, it was also in a sense very much Koren's own work, the Slovenian captain cutting inside and unleashing a twenty-five yard screamer that the impressive Grant in the Wednesday goal never had a hope of saving.

So that effectively was that. albion in the end deserved their win and on a luckier day could have had three or four - but on an unluckier day could have end up dropping yet more points.

Player Marks:

• Carson 6. Blocked one angled shot with his legs but otherwise - thankfully! - had little to do.
• Reid. 6. A steady home debut - will be an asset as the season progresses.
• Tamas. 8. The pick of the defence - calm and controlled, got Olssen out of trouble more than once.
• Olssen.5. Shakier than I've previously seen him - not the commanding figure of earlier in the season and a better team would have exposed him
• Cech. 6. Combined well with Brunt and Dorrens in the second-half.
• Thomas. 4. A bad day at the office - another who we need to re-discover his early season form.
• Morrison. 6. Gradually finding his feet and fitting in well.
• Dorrans. 7. An excellent second-half.
• Mulumbu. 8. Tigerish and energetic, like a latter-day Derek McInnes - even down to his passing - though it improved after half-time.
• Brunt. 7. Excellent second-half - will Roberto now realise that he needs him to play on the left?
• Moore. 4. Why? For some reason even now I expect him to play well and he never does. How was he ever once above Agbonlahor in the Villa Park pecking order?

Subs:

• Koren (for Thomas) 8. Added much needed urgency and direction and capped it off with one of the goals of the season.
• Miller (for Moore). 6. Worried the Wednesday defence and provided the powerful presence we needed - though still very erratic.
• Barnes (for Morrison). Too late to mark.

Referee. 6. Occasional fussiness at free kicks marred a good performance.

Roberto. 6. It took too long but he eventually got his formation, his tactics and his personnel just right.

Steve-o:

3 points is the main thing. the performance was patchy at best. team selection was more than a bit iffy. if rdm hasn't seen enough of luke moore to know that he isn't the answer to any question, then god knows what he is watching. maybe people inside the game see things differently, but everyone inside the hawthorns, including darren purse presumably thought luke moore's contribution was a joke last night. credit though to the manager for replacing the ineffective and disinterested thomas at ht, koren added some urgency to our midfield play - never seen a midfield 5 have so little of the ball. our back line had more of the ball than the midfield during the first half.

the introduction of miller was the spark, 12 seconds his was on the field before unleashing a shot at goal, wayward may it have been, but he did in 12 seconds what moore failed to do in the 58 minutes leading up to his substitution. darren purse suddenly knew he was in a game, wednesdays midfielders were suddenly looking backwards to help their defence and we were in the assendancy. though it looked as if it may be one of those nights with grant in the sheffield goal being equal to everything we threw at him. it was only going to take something special to beat him and koren duly delivered - what a strike.

Koren must start the next game, Morrison is clearly short of match fitness and looks a mile off the pace (understandably) - hopefully our sick list will look a lot healthier by the weekend. please rdm whatever you do saturday, do not pick luke moore - he is useless. regardless of the formation or the job he is asked to do - think everyone agrees he cannot play the lone striker job - but whatever role / position he must at the very least give 100% effort, movement and intelligance with his runs (if he does run). At least 10 points from the 3 home games and 1 away and we should have pulled away from forest by the month end.