Ted Hughes wrote:Btw, it's not the end of the world that we didn't win at WBA but those of you who just brush it off need to wake up. You are all so used to losing & competing for fuck all, that you don't realise the potential importance of it. It's time as a club when we have to take this kind of thing on board & deal with it rather than sticking our heads under the bedclothes & pretending it didn't happen.
'Oh it's ok, well played WBA' is absolutely the wrong attitude to take. The correct attitude is ' this is not good enough, lets win the next ten & make sure it doesn't happen again'.
I agree. With the long run of what look like very hard games coming up (barring , maybe, Wigan away, though after WBA who can tell?) points dropped at West Brom wasn't a luxury we could really afford. As you say, an away point at a decent Premier League team isn't the end of the world, though the manner of it and the lack of sharpness gave grounds for concern. And sharpness is key, as we are anything but a methodical side, even though we do grind teams down with our possession and movement. We rely a lot of burst of creativity and sparks of individual brilliance, so tiredness and dullness are things we need to avoid as best we can, and in the next five weeks that will mean relying on the depth of our options. The games with Liverpool and United are likely to be especially grinding. With what lies ahead in the immediate future, West Brom wasn't the time or place to have an off day. That's where the anxiety stems from.
Also, congratulating opposition teams on playing well is folly, unless we've beaten them. After all, it's their job (even duty) to play well which many PL sides seem to forget. They are clubs taking part in one of the best league divisions in the world, they
should be good.