West Brom v Cardiff preview Lewis Cox

Express & Star

25/10/2024

Transcript

00:00Hello from Alvins training ground where we've just had a press conference with Carlos Corbaran

00:05ahead of Saturday's home game against Cardiff City at the Hawthorns. It's been a little

00:10while since the Baggies have played at home, hasn't it, with the international break? It's

00:13been three weeks now and I think they're looking forward, certainly Corbaran's looking forward

00:17to that he enjoys at all games at the Hawthorns and certainly after three weeks looking forward

00:21to a return back there to face the Bluebirds. Different proposition, isn't it, facing Cardiff

00:26now than it was three or four weeks ago? Obviously their former boss Errol Bullock was dismissed

00:32about a month ago. Cardiff were at the bottom of the table and winless, I believe. So, yes,

00:38they had a struggling start to the season and Corbaran's just said there, given the

00:43squad they possess, some real quality, not many would have tipped them to be down the

00:50foot of the table. However, in the resulting couple of weeks, things have changed under

00:55the caretaker stewardship of Omer Reza, former coach, former striker. They've really turned

01:01around. A couple of wins, I think, unbeaten in four, is it? So, yes, in the last couple

01:06of games scored seven goals without reply as well against Plymouth and Portsmouth. So

01:11they're flying now, really. They're in a good momentum and they've climbed out of the bottom

01:14three as well. So, despite what the table says and how Cardiff started the season, no

01:20means are given at the Hawthorns tomorrow. And obviously, as we know, Albion are not

01:25in the best shape, are they, in terms of momentum and form at the moment? Look, it's five without

01:30a win, as we know, and that is the poorest sequence of results in Corbaran's reign. Corbaran's

01:36reign which turns two years today, actually. We've been at the training ground and it is

01:39two years to the day he was appointed the Spaniard to succeed Steve Bruce. So, a little

01:44bit of an anniversary around the place. You'll have seen on our website and on social media,

01:49Corbaran brought all members of staff in the training ground. So some, I don't know,

01:5460, 70 people that work here, maybe 50, 60 people that work here, from kit men to cleaners

02:01and kitchen staff and ground staff. Everyone's had a bottle of beer, a bottle of Estrella,

02:06obviously, to go with his chant, Spanish beer, and also a postcard, like a thank you card

02:11with a message on it. A really nice personal message, actually. A heartfelt little touch,

02:17a classy touch, actually. You can read all about that and what it says on our website.

02:21I thought that was a nice touch from Corbaran. A little bit of irony, I suppose, on such

02:25a landmark, a two-year anniversary, which there haven't been many of late, by the way.

02:29He's the first to do so since Pulis. Before that, in the 2000s, there'd only been Mowbray

02:34and Megson. So, a bit of an irony, I think, that the side under him have gone winless

02:41in five games for the first time. But I think if you take into account the context of the

02:48last two, since the international break, so those away games at Oxford and Blackburn,

02:53you know, OK, Oxford and Blackburn, you don't look at those and think, top two contenders,

02:58anything like that, big sides for the division. But, you know, Oxford were unbeaten at home,

03:02weren't they? And Blackburn had a 100% home record. Now, obviously, we all know Albion

03:07should have won that game at Oxford, and they're obviously a couple of minutes from doing so.

03:11The real gripe, I think, among supporters is that, you know, that urge and desire and

03:15push to make chances to kill the game off with a second and third goal didn't come.

03:19And that's something, look, Albion haven't scored enough goals of late, clearly. They

03:22certainly haven't done so at the Hawthorns. So that's something to be addressed. And that

03:25was a certainly let two points slip there that they should not have clearly. Go to Blackburn

03:30a few games, a few days later, sorry, and Blackburn are a better side for me than Oxford

03:34and rightly so neck and neck with Albion in the top six places at the minute, had a 100%

03:40record there at Ewood Park, as I mentioned. And for me, it was a better performance on

03:42Wednesday. Created much more. We know the best two chances for Albion fell to the wrong

03:48men, didn't they? Fell to the fullbacks in Furlong and then Hegham. And it was a shame

03:53that almost it fell to those. He could have done with a Maggio on the end of that or,

03:58you know, Diangano or someone else. However, you know, Corbijn said to me after the game

04:02and sort of reiterated it there this morning that, look, these players, we want to attack

04:07with everyone type thing. You know, it can't all be on us on Maggio, anything like that

04:11or wingers. So, in fact, just while I remember speaking about Hegham, we've just sat down

04:17with him actually for a first interview for the sort of external media chance to sit down

04:22and chat to Hegham. You can catch what he said. So over the course of the next week,

04:26we'll do a few pieces on him. A great character, great person to interview and talk to. Superb

04:31English. Just a really good lad. So that was good. But yeah, the Blackburn I thought album

04:37played really well, probably edged it in chances, deserved to win the game. But it

04:40was a tight, even game and it came on strong late on in the album, but wasn't quite to

04:45be. So things to work on. Look, we know about the home form and the home record this season.

04:55What is it? Two wins from five at the Hawthorns. We've had narrow wins against Plymouth and

05:03Swansea, of course. But more recently, we've had a stalemate in Nilnern against Millwall

05:08before the break, which was wholly frustrating, wasn't it? Really struggled to create chances.

05:13The defeat to Middlesbrough not so long ago, which was a pretty even game. Borough looked

05:17strong and sort of snuck it late on. And obviously there was a stalemate against Leeds going

05:23back to August, I think, which was pretty even. But I thought Albion were the better

05:26side that day when they started the season well. So the crux of being at the Hawthorns,

05:30I think, at the moment for Carlos Corbijn and Albion, where they've been typically are

05:35so strong in the championship at home, aren't they? And certainly have been under the Spaniard

05:38in his two years. But the issue really, you would say, is it's only been two home goals

05:44in those five league games so far. And that isn't good enough. That's particularly low

05:48and would be a record for among the struggling side. So really, at some point soon, you need

05:52to put that right. And obviously tomorrow is an ideal and first opportunity to do so.

05:57But like I said at the top, it's by no means going to be easy because it's a perceived

06:02side. Well, certainly a side down the foot of the table, but obviously one that I've

06:05picked up. So work to do, big work to do at home, you'd think. We have, I finally should

06:11remember before I sign out, got some pretty significant team news actually from today's

06:15press conference from this morning. First being Kyle Bartley. Now we know he missed

06:21out the other night, didn't he? Corbijn said to me afterwards they were managing an existing

06:25knee thing, a meniscus cartilage. Well, that's being checked by the specialist. Bartley

06:31is in talks and Albion are in talks with the specialist just to see how they manage that.

06:34There's a bit of contact and soreness from Oxford. They just want to see that they can

06:38continue sort of managing it as they have been for a year or so with Bartley. And hopefully

06:43he won't be available tomorrow. Bartley won't feature tomorrow, but hopefully sort of moving

06:46forward, he can recover to the level he was at in terms of load, Corbijn said. The other

06:51update, a slightly new one on Darrell Dekay, who of course returned to training this week.

06:57He's felt a little bit in his hamstring, which Corbijn was keen to stress is normal really

07:02and almost carries real positives because basically after eight or nine months, no full

07:07training, you can do all the kind of prep preparations or gym work, slow routines individually.

07:13But once you go into training, muscle injuries are likely. It's a small setback as he's feeling

07:19a bit in the hamstring. Obviously going to see how that settles down now. A blow for

07:23Dekay and he'll feel disappointment from that, I'm sure. But I don't think he's got to play

07:28under-21s football, hasn't he, before he returns to senior contention. And that was by no means

07:33a guarantee to be anytime soon yet. So look, it's about managing Dekay right and getting

07:37the timescale right. And there shouldn't, and obviously I don't think there is any pressure

07:41and real expectancy, certainly from externally, that he needs to come in, start again, hit

07:46the ground running, score goals. It's just about getting him absolutely right so he can

07:50hopefully stay free of any serious problems for the remainder of the season for Albion.

07:54But yeah, a bit of a shame for him to feel something in his muscle. But like I say, Corbijn

07:59said it's always likely that and that Albion have just got to continue to manage him as

08:04best they can.

08:05Other little one, Lewis Dobbin, the lone player from Villa. Haven't seen too much of this

08:09season yet, have we? Feeling something in his hip, I think, on the back of Blackburn

08:15the other day. So he probably won't feature tomorrow, Dobbin. Mason Holgate missed out

08:20the other night, didn't he, at Blackburn as Paddy McNair started. And Holgate's OK. I

08:23think he trained yesterday after that quad complaint from Jamaica Duty. So he could be

08:27back in and around it, around the squad tomorrow. And yeah, that's everyone, I think. So I'll

08:33check out now, sign off, write all that up. And we'll be, of course, at the Hawthorns

08:37tomorrow for coverage. Johnny and I are home to Cardiff where Albion look to return to

08:41winning ways, end this five-game drought without a win and see some more goals at

08:46the Hawthorns, hopefully, because there haven't been enough yet. And just need to get on the

08:50right track again, Albion, after this run. They're still in a really strong position

08:54in the league table. Just get back in the right momentum, get back confidence, sort

09:00of freedom. Doesn't have to be an amazing run like it was at the start of the season.

09:03Just get back to picking up victories and scoring goals. And hopefully we see that tomorrow.

West Brom v Cardiff preview Lewis Cox

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