Are Albion fans wary of Tony Mowbray as form has gone stale

National World - LocalTV

A change in fortunes as the results are needed for WBA.

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00:00Charlie, let's just look at West Bromwich Albion. In terms of Tony Mowbray, we've mentioned

00:06his experience, we've mentioned him being in this situation before with teams and obviously

00:11getting Albion over the line to the Premier League before all those years ago. In terms

00:17of the play-off race, it's really hotting up. It's one week, it looks completely different

00:21to the next and West Brom have been lucky really that the teams around them are struggling

00:25at times as well. Do you feel he's the right man for the job? Obviously, when he came in,

00:29he sort of wanted this free-flowing football and it's seemingly died out a little bit.

00:35I mean, this is so important that they go on and can end this season well, but they

00:39have to make sure that they're in the top six because they've been there or thereabouts

00:43for 90 plus percent of this campaign. Yeah, I think all the lovely and heartfelt emotion

00:50is petering out now about his romantic return. It's becoming a bit more negative around the

00:54football club. The football hasn't been as entertaining as he promised. The results haven't

01:00been good enough. Draws, once again, is the theme for West Brom. They seem like they could

01:04be drawing nearly half of their games this season, which is just an incredible statistic

01:08and one that's pretty unprecedented. Not losing too many, granted. I know the Norwich City

01:13defeat was a painful one so late on in the game as well and against a team that was otherwise

01:18going to be out of the play-off race is now thrown back into it. Another team to contend

01:22with, of course, that result, meaning that Bristol and Middlesbrough both now level on

01:27points with the Baggies, Coventry two points above. It's such a tight race and it just

01:32feels weird, doesn't it, that West Brom have just somehow all season long been fifth, sixth,

01:37fifth, sixth. I don't know how they're doing it, to be honest, because they've not been

01:40picking up too many wins, but they've just stayed there. I think now is the point, though,

01:44where the pressure really does grow on West Brom and Tony Mowbray as a manager. He needs

01:49to do better. He needs to bring in a bit more attacking and fluid football. I mean, it's

01:53not up to him. He's not the one on the pitch at the end of the day, but he is the one who

01:57chooses the team and not even having Isaac Price named at all against Norwich was a bit

02:02of a shock considering his form recently, even with maybe a slight injury doubt. You've

02:07got to have someone like him on the pitch when things aren't going your way and he didn't

02:10do that. So that's just one decision, though, and just one game. Hopefully he can kick on

02:15from now and he can prove people wrong.

02:18Yes, just looking at some of the stats, I mean, at home 35 points and then away from

02:24home after 20 games, just 22. A huge shift in differences on the road this season for

02:30West Brom. Do you feel teams that do get into the playoff places, teams that do get promoted

02:35are the ones who can carry that home form away from home as well and turn draws into

02:41wins? Obviously, 10 draws on the road, 6 defeats, only four wins all season. Do you feel that's

02:47been a key factor for West Brom's struggles? Because it was the same under Carlos Corberán

02:52as well before he departed.

02:54Yes, I think definitely an issue, something that you need to be able to pick up wins away

02:57from home as well as on home soil. Not good enough if you want to be promoted to the Premier

03:01League and a top six finish, obviously the bare minimum to have the chance of doing that.

03:06And to play Bristol and Coventry still away from home in the final matches, two direct

03:11competitors in this race for top six, it is concerning. Looking at those statistics for

03:16West Brom fans, for the club itself, Mowbray will say, well, it's only a statistic. The

03:20future is now. We can kind of put that behind us and try and finish the season on the high.

03:26Maybe Albi can do that, but looking at the past record, it doesn't seem like it's the

03:29odds are with them. It's probably against them at this point, especially when you consider

03:33the likes of Coventry have been doing so well at home themselves. It's a big task and West

03:38Brom need to step themselves up, otherwise they could miss out on those playoffs.

03:43And also, in terms of stats, set-piece goals is quite an interesting one that you look

03:47at and you do associate former West Brom sides, especially with that sort of stint they had

03:52in the Premier League, so many set-piece goals, so many goals from corners, free kicks, etc.

03:59Only 11 this season. That's quite damning in terms of the tactical sort of set-up that

04:05they've had. I mean, that can get you over the line itself when you win a corner. West

04:10Brom always used to celebrate corners as if they were going to score a goal, like your

04:14sort of Stokes of previous years under Tony Pulis, etc. But only 11 goals from set-pieces

04:20this season. That's a bit of a concern. After so many games played, you'd have hoped that

04:24there are more and maybe that could be a big difference as well.

04:28Yeah, I think it's surprising because when you've got someone like Kyle Bartley, who's

04:31so dominant in the air, Tobjorn Hegum as well, a little bit more unproven at this level,

04:36but now it's been such a good signing for West Brom. He's very tall, a big aerial threat.

04:41Even Mason Holgate, you could argue as well. So yeah, and Samir Jahi, when he's back-fit,

04:45he's someone who can score a few headers of his own. I think they do need to improve in

04:50that department. Defensively as well, from crosses, they haven't been good enough. Really

04:54need to improve. These are crucial fixtures now. In the middle of the season, you could

04:58talk about, well, we've still got 20 games to go. It's less than 10 now. West Brom really

05:02need to step up otherwise they will mess out, as I say, on playoff football.

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