West Brom’s latest defeat leaves them staring at another season in the Championship

National World - LocalTV

West Brom’s automatic promotion hopes suffered a major setback after a 3-1 home defeat to Derby County — a result that ultimately led to the sacking of manager Tony Mowbray. Reporting from The Hawthorns, Charlie Haffenden of BirminghamWorld described the atmosphere as “toxic” by full-time, with boos ringing out as the Baggies slumped to a costly loss.

Transcript

00:00Now West Brom's playoff promotion hopes suffered a major setback after a 3-1 home defeat to Derby

00:09County, a result that ultimately led to the sacking of manager Tony Mowbray. Reporting from

00:15the Hawthorns, Charlie Haffreden of Birmingham World described the atmosphere as toxic by full

00:20time, with booze ringing out as the baggies slumped to a costly loss. It was a must-win

00:25and they just didn't show up. There was no intensity and no spark and it just felt inevitable.

00:32Derby took full advantage in exposing Albion's defensive frailties, although West Brom briefly

00:38rallied through a second-half strike from Adam Armstrong, it was too little, too late.

00:43Mowbray's position had been under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks and this defeat proved

00:49the final straw. With the playoffs still within reach just about, the club will now look to

00:54reset under new leadership, but with form dipping and confidence low, the road back

01:00looks steep. Charlie Haffreden has more.

01:05West Bromwich Albion's playoff hopes are pretty much over now, if they weren't already, after a

01:10very disappointing 3-1 defeat to Derby County at the Hawthorns. This is a Derby side that is

01:16fighting relegation at the opposite end of the table. West Brom really should have the quality

01:20to beat them with relative ease, especially on home soil, but that wasn't the case. There

01:25was so much fight from the Rams, they got an early goal, they got a second to go 2-0 up,

01:29and at that point, West Brom, they just looked like they were fading, looked like a very little

01:33belief. Tony Mowbray, as well on the touchline, just didn't really have any real passion or

01:38anything. You just think that West Brom going into this six points outside the playoffs,

01:43three games to go, they have to win all three of their remaining games, and all of them are against

01:47teams that were in the bottom four heading into this one. As I said, they are fighting

01:52for their lives at the opposite end, it's going to be difficult, but West Brom should have the

01:55quality, and to go 2-0 down against a Derby team is pretty unacceptable, and the manner in which the

02:01goals were conceded, even more so, both from corners, the first two. The first one was just

02:07absolutely appalling, as Darnell Furlong on the near post kind of shielded away from the ball,

02:13ducked, giving a free header to Derby's captain at the near post. Josh Griffiths, as well,

02:20wasn't really able to command his area as well as he would have hoped. He didn't get across

02:23quickly enough to that near post. If then, as though the header was from quite close range,

02:28he wasn't going to do too much. More Furlong at fall, and it was Furlong who gave the ball away

02:31ahead of the corner as well, so a pretty poor afternoon for Albion's right back. Second goal,

02:37just as bad, really. A corner from the opposite side. Carl Bartley, who's meant to be a bit of a

02:42dominator in the box. Far from it on this occasion. The ball kind of drops to his feet,

02:47and Matt Clarke, the Derby defender, was able to edge in front of him. Bartley hardly put up a fight,

02:52to be honest with you. He should be the one really pushing on to get to the ball first.

02:56He didn't show any desire, didn't show any anticipation, as Clarke flicked the ball around

02:59the corner, and then Furlong, again, letting his marker go, poking into the far post to make it 2-0

03:05for Derby. Unacceptable, really, from West Brom. Going into half-time with the two-goal deficit

03:11here at the Hawthorns, they might be able to get back into the game. And with Coventry losing,

03:15Bristol losing, Middlesbrough losing elsewhere, not sure if the players would have known that,

03:19but if Albion managed to win this game, they would have firmly been in the playoff fight again.

03:24Unfortunately, though, it was Derby who scored the next goal. A fantastic one as well,

03:29and Nathaniel Mendes-Lag had only been on the pitch for a matter of seconds,

03:31as he sprinted onto a through pass, dinked the ball over Josh Griffiths perfectly,

03:36controlled it on the way back down, and then from a really tight angle,

03:40managed to fly in the bottom corner. The Derby fans packed out in that away end,

03:44going absolutely ballistic, chanting that they'd be staying up.

03:47Pretty much all of the teams in the bottom five were able to win today,

03:50so it might not be a survival-clinching win for Derby, but still an incredible three points

03:58for them. And for West Brom, a dismal afternoon here at the Hawthorns.

04:03It's now five defeats in the last six games for Tony Mowbray's men.

04:08A lot of people will be asking for the manager to leave now after such a performance

04:12and such a run of form. I think he'll probably argue in the press conference

04:15that West Brom deserves to win the game, but five defeats in six,

04:19it's not a coincidence, is it, really, at this point?

04:21And the domination that Mowbray speaks of isn't really evident on the pitch,

04:24even against the teams fighting at the bottom of the table.

04:27So, as it is, it's West Bromwich Albion one, Derby County three.

04:31Two games to go now. It's still mathematically possible to get into playoff positions.

04:35Games against Cardiff and Luton Town, who are in that relegation scrap,

04:39but it's incredibly unlikely. And to be honest with you,

04:41I think West Brom's season is well and truly over.

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