After a trio of dour performances we are afforded an opportunity to get ourselves going again with two home games against teams with accents that sound like a Y reg Cortina mark II trying to start on the coldest of all mornings.
There’s a nip of spring in our air though as EFC Ltd have spunked out some money on a new player to help keep the season momentum going, oh hang on that might not be the case. Suppose we'll see but this reeks of eleventh hour bid for Sean Davis.
Well done to the thousands of you braving Baltic conditions and meffy kids to urge on a dull Everton at Bolton who eventually done enough to get ourselves a tie against the sh*te’s conquerors: the mighty Oldham Athletic.
So it’s back to the league and despite them two scoreless draws it hasn’t really punished us as were on the cusp of those much desired Champions League places. As opportunity goes this week isn’t as much as looking a gift horse in the mouth as grabbing it tightly by the mane and necking it like it’s the last bird standing in The Rubber Soul at 1.55am. Speaking of horses it’s not polite to let this opportunity pass without urging Micky Quinn to feed his nags sometimes the fat kopite prick.
So West Bromwich Albion it is, abbreviated to WBA from this point herein. They gave us a sound beating at their place earlierin the season – one of the only teams to do it so far – and there were no excuses as they got their tactics spot on and swatted us aside 2-0. It was a precursor for a very decent season for them indeed, where the media managed more of a love in with us than we deserved compared to how they were doing.That was until the last month when it’s all gone a bit tosh. To be expected with the size of their squad and how much they've spent but it will be interesting to see if it’s a temporary glitch or things settling down after an initial bounce from their smackhead Thunderbird lookalike new manager.
As Moyes attested in his pre-game conference though, this won’t be an easy game. WBA have some very decent players and are well drilled. They’ll also realise this is exactly the springboard they need to get their season back on track and in the hunt for a Europa League place.
We've gone after the people of middle England before on here and their weird wacky ways but they’re not a bad sort. The lack of sea air has an effect on most places in Britain. It’s on the coast (pipe down Hull you bad teds, not you) where you’ll find more of the country’s vibrant places and sound folk. It's the more you go inland that you’ll find the weirdness factor multiply. Christ knows why, it’s a mystery us coast dwellers are not emotionally scarred from trying to swerve gigantic f*cking sea monster jellyfish on Formby beach and out of control XR3i’s doughnutting, or slipping on the concrete and cracking your head while trying to navigate entry to the water at Moreton while the tide’s in. Life’s hurdles are there to be overcome I suppose.
It’s towards the arse end of a very skint January so there won’t be huge legions of them sparing us too much boing boing and irony free chanting about us supposedly signing on while they’re stood there unwashed and wearing Joe Bloggs jeans.
West Brom (WBA) have had a few injuries lately but these seem to be clearing up at this present moment, there is only long term injury Zoltan Gera who is definitely ruled out for this game.
Odemwingie won’t start this game. The 60 watt headed beaut had a lonely night on the G&Ts (gin and twitter) and pushed through his intentions on leaving a club that have done him well. No problem if it’s one last ambitious throw of the dice at a big club but it’s bottom of the league QPR that he’s been flirting with. Which leaves it likely to be Lukaku and back from injury Shane Long – if not then Clarke will probably opt for Swedish striker Rosenberg.
Defensive midfielder Yacob is back from a nominal injury so with some luck he’s still a bit rusty as he’s a good player who done a great job against our midfield in the reverse fixture. There’s a whole host of competent midfielders to accompany him like Dorrans, Brunt, Morrison and Fortune who if they get a sniff of an apprehensive team will be all over it. Those same midfielders are let down by unfortunately looking like a group of gypsies canvassing a well to do neighbourhood, knocking and asking if you want your drive tarmacked whilst shiftily eyeing up your oldest lad’s mountain bike in the back garden.
They’ve been tight at the back this season with the underrated Ollsson and Ridgewell forming a good partnership and two very decent full backs tucked in. Saying that, they’ve not kept a clean sheet away from home all season so there’s no fear in getting change out of them if we go for it. Ben Foster will be in goal.
There’s too many variables to second guess our starting XI. The Jelavic/Anichebe axis of doom didn’t ask too many questions of Bolton last time out so were in desperate hope of someone finding some form up there. We may turn to one of our moody loan moves before Thursday and if not then Vellios might get a shot if the drought continues. Fellaini for the time being will play behind whoever is preferred there.
If he signs then it’s a game too early for Leroy Fer. In a move reminiscent of a tramp going into Gansgear and ordering the best Reebok Pump and Hexalite that money can buy, we've went and bid the best part of ten million for a player who like every other player looks ace on youtube. Let’s see like, we’re no kopites so there’ll no chants or banners for him early on but an air of prudent apprehension until he smashes five defenders out of the way on a slalom of a run and toeys the ball into the opposition net. Then he’s a player.
Moyes isn't one to throw players straight in either, he prefer to take his time – like a season or two. You can only imagine that Moyes is the type that buys a nice couch and leaves the plastic covering on for the first six months to prolong its life. My bird’s father does the exact same and he’s Scottish so maybe it’s a regional nuance. I won’t even start on leaving the remote controls in the polythene which is just f*cking annoying.
Our central midfield has been the problem in the past few games being that it’s been bettered by the opposition. Neville is a stop gap, you can probably throw Hitzlsperger in that category too so it’s a case of Osman +1 at the moment. We’re told Gibson is in the squad for this but it seems a push to imagine he’ll start. Pienaar will start on one side and Naismith or Gueye on the other probably, even if I’d personally like to see someone like Oviedo who will at least cause the opposition some problems. Mirallas should also be in the squad like.
The back four will pick themselves with Jagielka, Distin, Baines and probably Neville lining up and Howard in goal. Typical that when we tighten up and start getting clean sheets that the goals dry up at the other end.
We've been fortunate in that when we have slipped up so have those around us. All things considered we haven't really played very well for a while now, well not as well as we can - like early season when we obliterated teams with an attacking frenzy. Getting key players injured at various times hasn't really helped but it's mainly due to being towards the top end of the top division of England being one damn hard slog.
Still they say it's not what you got it's where you at, and we're fifth right now. And we'd like to be fourth at the end. That won't be achieved by passing up two winnable home games in four days. But as ever all these words, thoughts and hopes are ultimately nothing unless them lids in royal blue turn up and do what they can.
So over to them.
There’s a nip of spring in our air though as EFC Ltd have spunked out some money on a new player to help keep the season momentum going, oh hang on that might not be the case. Suppose we'll see but this reeks of eleventh hour bid for Sean Davis.
Well done to the thousands of you braving Baltic conditions and meffy kids to urge on a dull Everton at Bolton who eventually done enough to get ourselves a tie against the sh*te’s conquerors: the mighty Oldham Athletic.
So it’s back to the league and despite them two scoreless draws it hasn’t really punished us as were on the cusp of those much desired Champions League places. As opportunity goes this week isn’t as much as looking a gift horse in the mouth as grabbing it tightly by the mane and necking it like it’s the last bird standing in The Rubber Soul at 1.55am. Speaking of horses it’s not polite to let this opportunity pass without urging Micky Quinn to feed his nags sometimes the fat kopite prick.
So West Bromwich Albion it is, abbreviated to WBA from this point herein. They gave us a sound beating at their place earlierin the season – one of the only teams to do it so far – and there were no excuses as they got their tactics spot on and swatted us aside 2-0. It was a precursor for a very decent season for them indeed, where the media managed more of a love in with us than we deserved compared to how they were doing.That was until the last month when it’s all gone a bit tosh. To be expected with the size of their squad and how much they've spent but it will be interesting to see if it’s a temporary glitch or things settling down after an initial bounce from their smackhead Thunderbird lookalike new manager.
As Moyes attested in his pre-game conference though, this won’t be an easy game. WBA have some very decent players and are well drilled. They’ll also realise this is exactly the springboard they need to get their season back on track and in the hunt for a Europa League place.
We've gone after the people of middle England before on here and their weird wacky ways but they’re not a bad sort. The lack of sea air has an effect on most places in Britain. It’s on the coast (pipe down Hull you bad teds, not you) where you’ll find more of the country’s vibrant places and sound folk. It's the more you go inland that you’ll find the weirdness factor multiply. Christ knows why, it’s a mystery us coast dwellers are not emotionally scarred from trying to swerve gigantic f*cking sea monster jellyfish on Formby beach and out of control XR3i’s doughnutting, or slipping on the concrete and cracking your head while trying to navigate entry to the water at Moreton while the tide’s in. Life’s hurdles are there to be overcome I suppose.
It’s towards the arse end of a very skint January so there won’t be huge legions of them sparing us too much boing boing and irony free chanting about us supposedly signing on while they’re stood there unwashed and wearing Joe Bloggs jeans.
West Brom (WBA) have had a few injuries lately but these seem to be clearing up at this present moment, there is only long term injury Zoltan Gera who is definitely ruled out for this game.
Odemwingie won’t start this game. The 60 watt headed beaut had a lonely night on the G&Ts (gin and twitter) and pushed through his intentions on leaving a club that have done him well. No problem if it’s one last ambitious throw of the dice at a big club but it’s bottom of the league QPR that he’s been flirting with. Which leaves it likely to be Lukaku and back from injury Shane Long – if not then Clarke will probably opt for Swedish striker Rosenberg.
Defensive midfielder Yacob is back from a nominal injury so with some luck he’s still a bit rusty as he’s a good player who done a great job against our midfield in the reverse fixture. There’s a whole host of competent midfielders to accompany him like Dorrans, Brunt, Morrison and Fortune who if they get a sniff of an apprehensive team will be all over it. Those same midfielders are let down by unfortunately looking like a group of gypsies canvassing a well to do neighbourhood, knocking and asking if you want your drive tarmacked whilst shiftily eyeing up your oldest lad’s mountain bike in the back garden.
They’ve been tight at the back this season with the underrated Ollsson and Ridgewell forming a good partnership and two very decent full backs tucked in. Saying that, they’ve not kept a clean sheet away from home all season so there’s no fear in getting change out of them if we go for it. Ben Foster will be in goal.
There’s too many variables to second guess our starting XI. The Jelavic/Anichebe axis of doom didn’t ask too many questions of Bolton last time out so were in desperate hope of someone finding some form up there. We may turn to one of our moody loan moves before Thursday and if not then Vellios might get a shot if the drought continues. Fellaini for the time being will play behind whoever is preferred there.
If he signs then it’s a game too early for Leroy Fer. In a move reminiscent of a tramp going into Gansgear and ordering the best Reebok Pump and Hexalite that money can buy, we've went and bid the best part of ten million for a player who like every other player looks ace on youtube. Let’s see like, we’re no kopites so there’ll no chants or banners for him early on but an air of prudent apprehension until he smashes five defenders out of the way on a slalom of a run and toeys the ball into the opposition net. Then he’s a player.
Moyes isn't one to throw players straight in either, he prefer to take his time – like a season or two. You can only imagine that Moyes is the type that buys a nice couch and leaves the plastic covering on for the first six months to prolong its life. My bird’s father does the exact same and he’s Scottish so maybe it’s a regional nuance. I won’t even start on leaving the remote controls in the polythene which is just f*cking annoying.
Our central midfield has been the problem in the past few games being that it’s been bettered by the opposition. Neville is a stop gap, you can probably throw Hitzlsperger in that category too so it’s a case of Osman +1 at the moment. We’re told Gibson is in the squad for this but it seems a push to imagine he’ll start. Pienaar will start on one side and Naismith or Gueye on the other probably, even if I’d personally like to see someone like Oviedo who will at least cause the opposition some problems. Mirallas should also be in the squad like.
The back four will pick themselves with Jagielka, Distin, Baines and probably Neville lining up and Howard in goal. Typical that when we tighten up and start getting clean sheets that the goals dry up at the other end.
We've been fortunate in that when we have slipped up so have those around us. All things considered we haven't really played very well for a while now, well not as well as we can - like early season when we obliterated teams with an attacking frenzy. Getting key players injured at various times hasn't really helped but it's mainly due to being towards the top end of the top division of England being one damn hard slog.
Still they say it's not what you got it's where you at, and we're fifth right now. And we'd like to be fourth at the end. That won't be achieved by passing up two winnable home games in four days. But as ever all these words, thoughts and hopes are ultimately nothing unless them lids in royal blue turn up and do what they can.
So over to them.
