Calling Johnny Nash...
More questions than answers at The Hawthorns
As the late, great Johnny Nash once sang, “there are more questions than answers” swirling around The Hawthorns right now.
Was there a training ground bust-up this week involving one or maybe two players and the new Head Coach? If there was, we’ll probably have to wait a few years before one of those said to have been involved spills the beans on a podcast. Or not, if nothing happened.
And has Andrew Nestor left the club yet? Despite suggestions that he’s considering his future and his noticeable absence from the recent ‘unveiling’ of Eric Ramsay, he still lists his roles as Albion’s President and Sporting Director on his X bio.
Amid these puzzles, one thing is certain. Albion are now in the relegation zone, having fallen into the bottom three following Blackburn Rovers’ midweek victory against Sheffield Wednesday. Even with a six-point deduction for breaching PSR rules, Leicester City sit two places above us.
To counter the threat of demotion to League One, The Baggies made two loan signings in the latter stages of the transfer window - Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and Hindolo Mustapha from Crystal Palace. Jimoh-Aloba, who graduated through the Albion academy before being sold for £1 million, has already proved his worth in Witton, notching the winning goal against RB Sazburg in a recent Europa League tie. Mustapha has yet to appear for the Eagles, but has earned three caps for by Sierra Leone.
Both are welcome additions, offering the promise of pace and energy to a leaden midfield, but calling on two teenagers to rescue as season that has spiralled rapidly downwards reflects Albion’s desperate plight.
Another question. Can we expect any respite against Stoke City - a club which, as Steve Carr recalled here recently - has an ancient rivalry with The Baggies?
There are certainly grounds for hope. The Potters are in stuttering form, having won only one of their least four league games and they’ve failed to beat Albion in our last seven meetings. The counter-argument is that they have garnered as many points on the road (21) as at home and will see a trip to The Hawthorns as the chance to re-set a season which is in danger of fizzling out after a bright start. Sorba Thomas is their obvious dangerman, cutting in from wide to score nine goals this season as well as laying on six assists.
A final riddle. Where has all that optimism gone since that August day at the Bet 365 when Nat Phillips prodded home from close range to inflict Stoke’s first defeat of the season, leaving Albion fans buzzing about our promotion prospects?