Speaking With The Enemy – West Brom
Speaking With The Enemy – West Brom
This weekend we take on the high flying Baggies – who have surprised many by their great start to the season. We spoke to West Bromwich Albion fan Tom Harper about the up and coming game.
1. West Brom have had a great start to the season – do you think it will continue? What would be a good season as far as you are concerned?
I have been amazed by our start to the season. I would like to think we will continue picking up wins fairly regularly throughout the season, but I think it is probably inevitable that we will slip away from our current position. If we could finish in the top half and pick up more points than we did last season (47), I would be very happy.
2. Which WBA player should Chelsea be worried about?
Shane Long has the potential to cause any defence in the Premier League problems and if he is on his game, he will have to be watched carefully. James Morrison has also been outstanding so far this season and for most of last season, so we will need him playing well if we are to get a result tomorrow.
3. If you could choose any Chelsea player to join WBA who would you choose?
We have a lot of decent attacking players ourselves, but I would have to say one of Oscar, Eden Hazard or Juan Mata.
4. What do you think of Steve Clarke?
I always thought he may turn out to be a good appointment, although I certainly didn’t envisage such a good start. What has impressed me most about Steve Clarke is his ambition – whoever we have played this season, we have gone out and attacked them from the off.
5. What has been your biggest high as a West Brom fan?
There have been several in the last couple of seasons alone, but I would say either the 2-1 win at Villa Park or 5-1 at Molineux last season.
6. Has Lukaku impressed?
He has done well in patches, but is also very frustrating due to his inconsistency. It is clear he is a very good player with an incredibly bright future ahead of him potentially, but he needs to start taking more of his chances and developing his all round game.
7. Why are West Brom known as “The Baggies”?
I’m not 100% sure, but one theory is simply because many years ago, the shorts our players wore were baggy!
8. When Chelsea made it to the Champions League Final last season – did you want them to win, lose or didn’t give a toss – and why?
As an English club, I wanted Chelsea to win. I was also very pleased for Roberto Di Matteo, as I still hold him in high regard after his spell at The Hawthorns.
9. Would you welcome a billionaire owner for West Brom?
It will probably be necessary at some point in the future, but one of the best things about the Albion currently is how we are run. Anyone with a reasonable knowledge of football clubs can recognise that our Chairman, Jeremy Peace, has done superbly since coming into the club. It will be a sad day when we are forced to move away from our current set-up, although there are of course many benefits to having owners who are willing to invest billions of pounds of their own money to support your club.
10. Tell us something interesting about your club?
After every goal we score, our supporters sing the hymn ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’, with this being started a few decades ago when one of our matches was moved to a Sunday.
11. Who has been your favourite West Brom player ever and why?
For me, it would probably have to be one of the current players. The likes of Jonas Olsson and James Morrison have been at the club for four and five years respectively already, and have both signed new long-term deals over the last few months.
Zoltan Gera deserves a mention in this as well, as he was superb in his first spell at the club and has been excellent since recovering from the serious injuries he suffered after returning to the club last summer.
12. Finally – what do you think the score will be at the weekend?
I never know what to predict when it comes to the Albion! There is very little pressure on us though, so I think the key factor could be how long we keep the score at 0-0 or possibly even score an early goal ourselves.
I would like to think we could give you a good game, but we will have to be at our best to get a good result.
Posted by Trizia
(You can see all the ‘Speaking with the Enemy’articles here)
