WBA53 match thread

[Dubbag]

Always avoid a loss on the opening day and better if its away from home....so good point first game.
But a lingering trait from last season is still with us. Namely very slow starting in games.....
So many times last year we gave away the first half only to improve and have a good or better second half. This is a team flaw that needs to be sorted out quite quickly.
We all remember the catching up we could never do in games from last year.

[soulman101]

With Livermore getting selected, credit to him after being unwell and put a shift in, their must have been fitness concerns regarding Mowatt.
Sometimes we make judgements without knowing what's gone on the week.
We have a top medical bloke in charge now, thinks its the right call easing Dyke back and waiting for Okay.

[baggiematt]

Some good and bad but overall a decent result.

The bad - Furlong (Jesus that lad can't pass and was at fault for their goal IMO), Livermore was rubbish as usual and Townsend was his usual self. Grant was just Grant but fully expect Dike to take over soon although I do think Grant has a big part to play this season. The defence just can't play out from the back and that's a worry for me. Bilic would have put Sawyers in front of them and not allowed some of those dismal clearances. I hope Yokuslu helps fix that.

The good - Dike is an animal and the counter attacking options in the second half of Diangana, Wallace, Swift and Dike looked threatening. We'll score goals this season, no doubt.

Probably sensible that Dike was on the bench. I read he had some groin niggles in pre season and they're being cautious. If Val had been a bit more cautious, he might have played last season and spearheaded a play off push!

[boingy]

boingy...what was that website you were using recently?
Thanks...

Fotmob My comment on the headers was what it looked like to me, I wasn’t on FotMob tonight.

[Dubbag]

Fotmob My comment on the headers was what it looked like to me, I wasn’t on FotMob tonight.

Thank you for that....👍

[The Minn Junta]

The hard facts seem to be that until we unload the likes of Zohore and Reach then we have to accept seeing the likes of Scott Twine and Dwight Gayle sign for other clubs. We’re stuck with what we have and we all know it.

Dike is clearly being wrapped in cotton wool and I agree, this man is a beast of a game changer, who wouldn’t want him in their starting line up, but until we know his full medical/physical situation then we have to trust the management team for not wanting to repeat rushing him back, like last season. I think starting him on the bench was right, introduce him when others are tiring, makes sense to me rather than have him belting around like a madman trying to keep up with everyone who’s fit and fresh.

Once we settled I thought O’Shea deserved a special mention, he looked unbeatable, like the post Prem player we saw.

Nowhere near perfect but the way we grew in the second half gave me great cause for optimism.

Jed Wallace and John Swift, wow what a difference, make no mistake many many clubs wanted them, we got them BOTH, as my old Nan used to say (bless her) .....count your blessings!


All will be ‘Okay’😎

[Bombers right foot]

I thought Bruce was far too cautious in his team selection, terrible first half with all the defensive errors of last season
2nd half was much better but subs used far too late
Ajayi and OShea were outstanding, but Furlong and Townsend were truly awful
Wallace and Swift, excellent, but Livermore, why pick this donkey, fit or not he was sooo slow
As for Grant, if he doesn’t score he offers nothing
Lots of work to be done in the transfer market
Forgot to add, I’d like us to offer Foster a years deal, a Foster on one leg is better than Button and Palmer

[baggieal]

I thought Bruce was far too cautious in his team selection, terrible first half with all the defensive errors of last season
2nd half was much better but subs used far too late
Ajayi and OShea were outstanding, but Furlong and Townsend were truly awful
Wallace and Swift, excellent, but Livermore, why pick this donkey, fit or not he was sooo slow
As for Grant, if he doesn’t score he offers nothing
Lots of work to be done in the transfer market
Forgot to add, I’d like us to offer Foster a years deal, a Foster on one leg is better than Button and Palmer

Would agree with all that completely except Button was OK - certainly no worse than Johnstone!

Grant up front though awful decision. Livermore, Phillips and Furlong need to gracefully retire as don’t add anything!

[Q165]

Would agree with all that completely except Button was OK - certainly no worse than Johnstone!

Grant up front though awful decision. Livermore, Phillips and Furlong need to gracefully retire as don’t add anything!

I have not read any other posts but this sums things up perfectly. Dike is a truly fearsome proposition. I know very little but as sure as night follows day Grant will never be a lone centre forward

[BaggieBlood]

Delivermore, is terrible. He offers no protection to the back 4 and his passing is terrible.

Molumby is equally as bad, he runs around like a headless chicken doing fk all.

Furlong needs to improve his passing or fk off. He cost us their goal.

O'shea the man of match for me and Swift and Wallace also very good.

We need another striker badly though as Grant is a c???.

Regarding Dike, he wasn't rushed back by the previous manager, as he didn't have an injury. He got injured when there was a long delay in the game.