WBA (1) 2 Stoke 0 – 12/11/22 3pm
Alex Neil’s Stoke were beaten all over the pitch at the Hawthorns, leaving Stoke still in a relegation battle for the World Cup break. Playing a back-4 in the first half backfired, but despite changing it at half-time, City looked weak without Souttar’s height, and when Powell went off, they lacked…practically everything else! Tyrese went off at half-time after barely touching the ball! Neil’s first 15 games are worse than the like of Gary Rowett, and changes will need to be made! Here’s how the game unfolded in real time:
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No Harry Souttar – hopefully just being rested after his mid-week comeback game. And three other changes, with Morgan Fox actually dropped for the first time this season…despite FINALLY having a decent game against Luton!
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0.31 Clarke dives in to clear off the line!! Another careless start by Stoke, but HarryC to the rescue. Alex Neil already having kittens like this was a cat breeders!
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10.13 Albion missing some obvious chances, but Stoke playing with a back-4 seems a little bit perilous!
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14.01 Powell gets elbowed over…and the ref gives the decision the other way! Nick (guess what) is unimpressed by that, in his typical white-middle-class way. Meanwhile Tymon, Baker and Powell playing some flash football!
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21.38 Powell’s had enough, and on comes ex-Albion Dwight Gayle. Serious money on him not scoring! Or even touching the ball. Meanwhile, everyone pleased to see that Nathan Jones is losing in his new job, down 1-2 at Liverpool. He’ll be telling everyone that Southampton were the better side in the first half, and should have gone on to win after scoring!
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25.01 Thompson takes a yellow card for the team before Clarke saves another which could have been an own-goal. Not looking very positive for Stoke. Bonham feeling the heat!
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31.35 Baggies hit the bar from a corner! Stoke’s fragile defence struggling badly, and losing Powell, gaining Gayle and Jordan on a yellow is making this harder than it should be.
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38.04 0-1 !! Kyle Bartley heads home from a cross from the right. It was coming. Clarke not effective on the right, and crosses raining in from all sides. Ironic as Jagielka had just made a superb tackle moments before to stop a certain goal.
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41.30 As another cross and header trouble Stoke, we start to miss Harry Souttar, but can see why he is being rested, as this is a real bruiser.
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45+3 Bags 1 Stoke 0 – Could have been more! We need Fox!
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45.00 Would you believe, Morgan Fox on to make a back-3, replacing Tyrese, whom I think I’m right in saying DIDN’T TOUCH THE BALL ALL THE FIRST HALF!
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49.08 Delap heads wide. Stoke’s first proper chance?
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49.55 0-2 !!! Acrobatic over-head kick goal by Thomas-Asante, who latches on to Jagielka’s attempt to clear. A red flare goes off in the Stoke crowd, but everything looks black for City. Even Delap is supposed to have been yellowed, though nobody noticed. Clarke gets away with another bad challenge. It’s all going pear-shaped for The Potters.
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65.20 Yes! Erik The Viking Pieters comes on as sub for West Brom. He looks leaner than he did at Stoke…
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67.01 Weird stuff in the crowd as the Albion fans all light up their mobile phones, and Stoke fans look bewildered as if they’ve never seen one before!!
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69.15 Fosu on for Tymon, and Jacob Brown on for Delap.
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81.54 Brown has a shot on goal. OK, it’s weak and wide, but hell it’s…something.
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85.09 Diangana misses an open goal in the style of Saido Berahino! Awful. Embarrassing!
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87.05 Baker forces a tip-over by the keeper Palmer, who had just finished his copy of War & Peace waiting for a Stoke attack.
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90+4 thank god that’s over. WBA 2 Stoke 0.
