Premier League preview: West Brom
Naive top tier failures or loveable yo-yoing dreamers? You decide.
West Bromwich Albion are back again, earning their fourth promotion to the Premier League in the last 10 seasons. Only once did they survive beyond the one campaign, and they face a real battle to stay up again – but that seems to be how they like it.
Roberto Di Matteo graced the Premier League as a player, appearing in the Chelsea midfield for six years before a triple leg fracture cruelly ended his career in 2002, and after cutting his managerial teeth with Milton Keynes Dons, he now returns to the top flight with a team who are high on endeavour and skill, but light on experience and stubbornness. So, just like every other West Brom team then.
There is hope for the Baggies though, with most of resting at the talented feet of Graham Dorrans – who, in March, The Guardian described as “easily the best all-round midfielder seen at West Brom since Bryan Robson.”
A huge comparison to make, but West Ham have had at least three bids rejected for the Scottish international midfielder – the last of which rumoured to be in the region of £5million – and so it is easy to see why the Baggies were so happy that he signed a new four-year deal with them in July.
He will obviously be important then, but he’ll need to be backed up by others, and while Northern Irishman Chris Brunt impressed when the Baggies were last in the top flight in 2008/09, scoring eight times, their squad certainly looks short of goals.
Simon Cox will relish the Premier League challenge though. A prolific goalscorer with Swindon Town in League One, he earned a move to the Hawthorns last summer and responded with nine league strikes, but the fact that Di Matteo will have to rely on him, Roman Bednář, Ishmael Miller, Luke Moore and 18-year-old New Zealander Chris Wood – who admittedly was inches away from scoring against Italy at the World Cup – probably indicates just why the Italian has been searching for a forward, with a move for Liverpool’s David Ngog heavily linked but unlikely to happen.
Reinforcements have come elsewhere though, with Spanish international defender Pablo Ibáñez an intriguing signing, injury-prone midfielder Steven Reid a risky one, former Reading, Aston Villa and England (well, twice) left back Nicky Shorey an astute one, and Welsh goalkeeper Boaz Myhill a surprise one. Fellow custodian Scott Carson remains the club captain, and so Myhill will have a battle on his hands for the No. 1 jersey.
He was relegated with Hull City last season, and his new club have it all to do if they are to avoid the same fate.
Di Matteo is a good manager, but he may just be about to experience a reality check when the big boys of the Premier League come calling.
In 2008/09, Tony Mowbray’s West Brom were at times labelled “too nice” for the top tier, too willing to take on the best at their own game and – what with the best being the best – too willing to roll over and accept defeat.
There will be some demons for Di Matteo to exorcise, and with a tough fixture schedule in the first few weeks of the season he had better do that quickly.
It might be a new face leading West Brom into the top division, but they are sure to experience the same old problems.
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