Following a poor start to a season that had promised so much to Albion fans during the summer months of friendlies and the surprising signing of Nicolas Anelka, the knives were being sharpened in some quarters and aimed at Head Coach Steve Clarke’s back. Fast-forward to the present day and a glance at the Premier League table shows that West Bromwich Albion are in 12th place on 10 points from 8 matches, but the atmosphere around The Hawthorns amongst fans and various other interested parties couldn’t be more removed from the, at times, toxic air of discontent back to the days of mid-to-late August.
The old adage that a leopard can’t change it’s spots is one way to come to terms with the way our Chairman, Jeremy Peace, approaches the summer transfer dealings, for as much as we would all like and prefer all transfer business to be completed by the time the season kicks off, it just never happens. Peace is a strong advocate of closing the transfer window prior to the season kicking off which is something that I strongly believe as well. The current state of proceedings is not helpful to anyone with it impacting on both buying and selling clubs, the rest of the playing squad, the player himself and the staff involved in the transfer process. The hindrance to all parties is plain to see, yet the transfer window remains a part of the footballing landscape until the end of August.
Going back to the start of the season, there were obvious holes in our squad with reinforcements needed in a major way both on the wings and in attack. Pace, creativity, flair and a goal-threat were all crucial pieces missing from the jigsaw and the opening three matches of the season saw nothing but a solitary point (not even a goal) earned in the goalless draw away to Everton, whilst the two home defeats against Southampton and Swansea were both dismally insipid affairs, which only added to the hovering gloom. The poor points return from the second half of last season, once West Brom had gathered enough points for safety, was also continually regurgitated as reference to the notion that Clarke was treading water in heavy currents and being pulled out of his depth. For me, this was never a view I subscribed to and preferred to applaud Clarke for the job he had done in guiding Albion to such early safety in terms of points on the board, whilst also pointing the finger for the second-half decline at a lack of transfer activity in the January window. The time to strengthen is when you are at your strongest, which we failed to do.
That doom and gloom seems a long time removed now however thanks to an encouraging run, fuelled by the positive impact of new signings on the team, and Albion have now gone on a five match unbeaten run in the league, with a penalty shoot out defeat to Arsenal’s next generation in the Capital One Cup being the only blemish. Albion fans are grudgingly used to the fact that we have to be patient in waiting for new signings to arrive, but thankfully, the ones that finally did arrive before the handle turned on the most costly window around have been just the tonic for our early season woes.
Scott Sinclair from Manchester City was a name that was talked about for what seemed like an eternity before he signed, with the excruciating wait almost too much for some to cope with, whilst others saw sense in the frugal approach after injury and illness setbacks, not to mention a season getting splinters on the bench at The Etihad. He did eventually sign in one of our trademark loan-to-buy deals and, in a funny way, him getting injured inside the first quarter of an hour at Old Trafford could be one of the best things to happen to our season, as his replacement that day was academy-graduate and eventual match-winner Saido Berahino. Pleasingly, Sinclair is now back in contention for the weekend’s match away to Liverpool, so no long-term harm was caused.
Another new signing, who was received in a luke-warm way, was Victor Anichebe – mainly due to the size of the transfer fee involved, which could eventually be worth up to £6m following his arrival from his boyhood club Everton. His performance in my generation’s version of the famous 5-3 victory away to Manchester United was one to be proud of and one that will long be remembered, for he put his body on the line for the cause and came out the other end with a ringing endorsement, three points and a place in the heart of the fans. As the attacking spearhead, he took the punishment, dished out some of his own too and opened up the game for the three attacking midfielders behind him.
One of those to benefit hugely from the performance of Anichebe at Old Trafford was perhaps the most unheralded of the late-summer dealings at The Albion, Frenchman Morgan Amalfitano. Operating on the right side of midfield, his displays have been excellent. Comfortable on the ball and in possession of a superb delivery, he really has caught the eye. Introducing himself at The Hawthorns with the emphatic third in the 3-0 victory against Sunderland in Paolo Di Canio’s final match at the helm, he then went on to introduce himself to the rest of the world with his fine surging run and impudent finish, dinking the ball over the despairing David De Gea to open the scoring in the 2-1 win. That we have managed to secure the services of such a talented player, used to the rigours of top-flight European football thanks to his time in Marseille, must go down as a feather in the cap of the recruiting team. Converting the loan-to-buy deal into a permanent transfer should be right at the top of the club’s agenda going forward.
The next bullet point on that agenda must also be to tie youngster Berahino down to a new long-term contract following his explosive introduction to the Premier League. The exuberance of youth flows from him and watching him play at Old Trafford must have been similar to watching him play down the field with his mates, as he simply attacked the United defence relentlessly, causing them problems all game long even before lashing home the winner left-footed first time from the edge of the area, giving De Gea no chance. The rise for this exciting young forward has only just begun and the responsibility of handling and nurturing that talent is something that Clarke will need to consider as we move deeper into the season. The depth in quality to the squad is now a major help in that matter, which is almost an alien concept to Albion fans.
Saved for last but for me the most encouraging thing to happen to West Brom this season is the arrival of Stephane Sessegnon. That is no knock on either Amalfitano or Berahino who have both been brighter than a mid-day sun, but owes more to the fact that Sessegnon is one of the most exciting players that I have ever had the pleasure to watch. With his short, stocky build, powerful stance and low centre of gravity complimenting his obvious footballing ability, he must be an absolute nightmare to have to defend against. His grace is reminiscent of Jason Koumas at his best but with the added bonus that he is a damn sight harder to knock off the ball. Quite what Di Canio was doing selling him is beyond me and he should’ve been sacked on the spot for such an aberration. Had he been it would have merely saved him the embarrassment of the ridiculous end-of-game, on-pitch stare out with the away fans following the pathetic 3-0 Hawthorns defeat which preceded his dismissal. Away to Stoke on Saturday (you might want to stop singing ‘we always beat West Brom’ now, eh lads?) Sessegnon was at times majestic and showed the Stoke supporters everything that their team is currently lacking as he tormented the defence and midfield with his interplay, creativity and dribbling ability. Once in each half, he took off on a mazy run into the box, culminating in defenders being left trailing in his wake, with only the finish past an extremely impressive Asmir Begovic lacking on both occasions, denying us a victory that even the most ardent Potter would’ve been hard-pressed to say that we didn’t deserve.
Now five games unbeaten in the league and injuries to Zoltan Gera, Matej Vydra, Steven Reid and George Thorne all clearing up, Head Coach Steve Clarke has the best squad at his disposal that I have ever seen in my time supporting Albion. The team no longer picks itself and managing the disappointed dozen or so each match will be something that he has to ponder long into the night. What a great problem to have though.
You are my Albion.
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