WE’RE NOT BOTTOM ANYMORE, BUT WE’RE OUT OF THE CUP

Written on 29/08

WEST BROM (or is it TROM?) – THE MATCH

It doesn’t make sense to feel happy in defeat but I can’t recall the last time I felt so good after losing.

We, bottom of the 92, can take so much more from this game than our Premiership opponents with their full internationals and what have you. I must admit that for the first half hour or so I never thought I’d be saying that. During this period, whilst we manfully stuck to the task in hand, Albion’s movement was such that they always seemed to have players in space to receive the ball and move it on. Their finishing was however rather wayward to say the least – plenty of wild hacks from distance that went nowhere near the target. That their goal was an oggie said a lot and anything actually on target wasn’t that troublesome.

After we’d conceded, nothing much changed and I took mild comfort from the fact that we were only one down. However I didn’t think we looked like we had it in us to fashion a chance worthy of the name. Our forwards were seeing little of the ball and when they did were getting no joy.

The remainder of the match though was something else. We asserted a certain amount of control in midfield and took the game to the Baggies attacking with skill and flair, particularly down our left. It was a pleasure to watch. The only thing that was letting us down, yet again, was the finishing. With clear cut chances at a premium we couldn’t afford to waste opportunities, which is just what Carlton Morris did after we’d played and passed our way through their back line. He really should have done better.

If only we’d had that clinical 20 plus goal a season striker we’ve dreamt of for years on the pitch. Injuries and fitness permitting, we of course may now have such a man, ready and waiting. What a delight it was to get a glimpse of Will Hoskins. He looks the real deal and although he may not have been our goal scorer it was clear that he knows not only where the goal is but where his team mates are too. I was pleased it was Danny Hylton who got in there to force Hoskins’ header from the back stick over the line. Hylton is impressing me more and more with his work rate, ability to hold the ball up and no little skill to go with it.

That we kept going for a further 30 plus minutes, and with a man short for the last ten of those, without ever being on the ropes speaks volumes about our team spirit.

I’d rather not dwell on the penalties other than to say I’d have put money on a player as experienced as Tom Newey to have buried his kick, whilst I had less faith in a kid like Alex Jakubiak. How wrong I was, Jakubiak’s was quality. Last time I called him tiny. This time I’ll call him tricky.

But it would be churlish to be critical of anyone. There were plenty of standouts.

WEST BROM – THE OTHER STUFF

The Vine – A pub with a difference. A tardis of a pub. It might look like a traditional street corner boozer, which it is, with a few small drinking rooms, but a few steps further in and there’s a large dining area serving a comprehensive range of Indian and English food. Despite the numbers that eventually filled the pub, service was very speedy. A lot of pubs that fill up with football fans on a Saturday and Tuesday evenings could learn a thing or two from this place. My only disappointment was that they had just two real ales on, both Holdens, and one of those ran out almost immediately. (I can hear the yawns from those out there who will drink anything fizzy that is put in front of them).

The walk to the ground was interesting too. Alongside and across a railway line. There was a sign telling us to look both ways. So that was alright. It was a bit hairy walking back to the car along the same route in the pitch black after the game though.

Stewards – Can’t say they were a particular problem but it was rather infuriating when they just stood right in front of us without a thought that we just might be trying to watch the game. That’s what comes of getting seats in the row immediately behind a gangway I suppose. I don’t think they earned many points for observation though. One steward who had been stood near us for ages failed to spot a fellow fan, who had temporarily plonked himself down in a spare seat near us, smoking a roll up.

Egress – It really isn’t acceptable on health and safety ground to force people to leave via a route that they didn’t use to get into the ground, is not lit and has a barrier blocking half of it at one point. Perhaps forced is unfair because there was the option of standing around for 10 or 15 minutes apparently to wait for the gate to be opened. But it’s still not on. I can understand it if there is a genuine need for the police to keep apart two sets of fans intent on war but at least make it a little safer.

DAGENHAM AND REDBRIDGE – THE EXPECTATION

After Tuesday and seeing Hoskins and the way we played I think that some fans may be getting a little too confident. I’m feeling a lot better about it all but know, as I’m sure the players do, hard graft in big measures, will again be required. As I’ve said before, playing against League Two opposition is very different to playing against teams from higher divisions, and not necessarily in a good way. That’s just the way it is. We are in League Two when all’s said and done.

Mark Ashton seemed to be rather overwhelmed with the support we had against the boing boing boys and impact we had on the outcome and had called for more of the same against the Daggers. Oh that it were that simple. Playing away against a Premiership outfit in a Cup game is very different from playing a league game at home in our three sided soulless stadium (the times I’ve called it that) against a side that has no support of note. Attractive winning football will nevertheless bring the fans back, but whether that will be in the numbers to satisfy our new owners is another matter.

D&R it should be noted have won their last two games 2-0 and like us have lost by a single goal to the impressive Burton and the team that are currently (and I believe very much temporarily) top of the table, Morecambe. It won’t be easy. (And if it is I’ll argue that we made it look easy but it wasn’t).

Written on 31/08

DAGENHAM AND REDBRIDGE – THE JOURNEY IN

With major road works taking place at the Kennington roundabout fans driving in that way have been advised to add an extra 15 minutes to their journey times and the football buses have stuck on an extra 25 minutes. Sod that, it’s now the villages route from Bicester and in via Cowley for me.

And it appears that there were travel problems all round on Saturday with Radio Oxford announcing the A40 was a mare and Yellow Fever Dan tweeting an appeal, which I doubt was successful, for a lift to Oxford as he was stuck at Paddington where no trains were departing.

Could this be one of the many factors why our gates are not what they need to be if we are to become a bigger club than we are now? We’ll never be a Man U (who would want to be) but we’ve been bigger than this.

DAGENHAM AND REDBRIDGE – THE MATCH

It didn’t take long for our first league goal from open play to arrive. We attacked from the off. This wasn’t the world of Chris Wilder. Carlton Morris drove forward (yes forward, from the off). After a step over, the ball was fed to the overlapping Joe Riley and his delivery into box was of the dangerous type that is a nightmare for defenders to deal with and an open invitation for an attacker. Jakubiak did the necessary, albeit with a big slice of luck because he missed his kick and the ball seemed to just bounce in off his leg. But very well done for getting there to score his first League goal.

Four minutes later we’d conceded. We’d allowed the Daggers space on the ball. There was no challenge and a flicked pass to third man running or some such technical stuff led to a ball across the box and the easiest of tap ins. Not good defending. I thought Riley should have done much better in this. If he had thought about marking his man instead of going towards the man with the ball, who he was never going to get near, I think there was a pretty good chance it could have been prevented.

It can’t be denied we looked vulnerable defensively throughout and have done in a few games this season. This is definitely not the world of Chris Wilder. However, this is only the second time this season that we’ve conceded more than one.

With the full backs (and that’s what they are in a four across the back aren’t they?) required to add another almost full time role, attacking, to their day job, defending, is there any wonder that there are acres of space to be exploited when they are way up the pitch? And as our set up of 4-2-3-1 where the real midfield, particularly in terms of closing down and denying space, is the two, is there much of a surprise that the opposition has quite a lot of room in which to play?

The rest of the first half was entertaining. Good for the neutral but concerning if you would rather see a scrappy affair that guaranteed your team the three points. We probably saw more efforts on goal than we had all of last season. Or at least that is how it felt. End to end stuff. Cliché time again.

This supposed thrashing some think we’ll be handing out soon looked some way off and even further off when we fell behind right at the start of the second half following another defensive cock up. A very poor header from Tom Newey gave possession away and when the ball was cut back into the box the fact that we had lots of bodies in the vicinity stood for nothing as there was no proper marking.

Whilst I was trying to work out if there were signs of heads dropping we’d got back on level terms. Initially I was critical of Alfie Potter for not having scored himself but he did well to keep possession and knock the ball back to Newey whose cross into the box was another that created a proper chance. We are now so much better at this. Danny Hylton leapt like a striker who knows he can head a ball properly and despite leaning backwards was able to generate enough power to beat Liam O’Brien in the D&R goal.

And then six minutes later we were back in the lead. A run down the middle from Potter, who I thought was a bit lucky to be in the team ahead of Danny Rose, and a ball slipped through to Jakubiak saw the young lad force his way past his marker in the box only to be pulled back. I’ll also call him tough, particularly for one so young and inexperienced. Penalty, yes. Goal, yes. Could it be that the only signing Gary Waddock made turns out be our first 20 goal a season man in the League in years?

We were of course incapable of holding the lead. Abu Ogogo’s strike might have been stunningly spectacular, but all the easier to execute when there’s so much room in which to work. We’re not currently very good at closing down.

DAGENHAM AND REDBRIDGE – THE REFEREE

Gary Sutton was of the usual standard. Yes, not very good. Once the penalty was given the laws of the game dictate that the offender has to be sent off, don’t they? Sutton never even showed a yellow. (Personally I think the penalty is enough punishment in itself and that the laws should be changed). He then came across as being really weak by allowing a group of Dagenham players to engage in conversation around the penalty spot without censure for what seemed like minutes. The delay in the kick being taken did not prevent Hylton from converting but it could have and the keeper did get quite close.

And he was another who gives handball around the centre circle but not in the penalty area even if the circumstances are about identical.

That just 4233 home fans turned up has to be a huge concern. It’s getting worse, not better. So much for the Hawthorns experience having a knock on effect. Come on guys and girls, I think you’re more likely to be entertained now and see a few goals to boot even if we don’t yet look like a winning outfit.