Boing Boing Baggies
It’s been a long and winding road for West Brom fans.
A heroic promotion charge one season was often followed by relegation the next. The West Midlands club just couldn’t seem to stay in the Premier League.
But all that seems to have changed this season.
West Brom’s fine early season form (at the time of writing they sit in 5th place) suggest that they may have finally managed to shake the “yo yo” club tag.
New manager Steve Clarke has done well to build on the solid foundations laid down by Roy Hodgson during his tenure and are starting to look like a real force in the top tier as Liverpool fans will testify following their 3-0 defeat earlier in the season.
So far this season they have managed to win six of their opening eleven games and, if their away form had been better, could easily have been more.
It took until last weekend for Baggies to get their first away win of the season, a 2-1 victory over Wigan.
Steve Clarke has gone on record to say that he wants more from his charges despite their lofty position in the table. In his eyes they are doing well but could be doing ever better.
His attitude reinforces the new found belief around the Hawthorns. A few seasons previous the top 6 looked like an unreachable height but now there is belief.
The belief that they can finally kick on from their strong start to the season, the belief that they can hold on to their best players and the belief that they can finally stop looking down the table and start looking up it after years of average performances.
In Shane Long, Peter Odemwingie and the on-loan Romelu Lukaku West Brom have the firepower to give any team’s defence a headache on their day. Gone it would seem are the days when players like Geoff Horsfield and Kanu were leading the line for the Baggies.
Maintaining their early season form will be difficult but if they can carry their momentum and earn a Europa League place then this season would be considered a remarkable achievement for a club which have typically flattered to device.
Time will tell whether or not they manage it but if the early season indicators are anything to go by then they might just do it. Boing Boing.
Robert Lock
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