On Saturday 11th January West Bromwich Albion went back to the top of the EFL Championship following a 2-2 draw at Charlton. Chants from the travelling contingent of 'we are top of the league' were slightly muted as debate raged between those concerned with recent form and those insisting on the bigger picture. So it was a case of whether the glass was half full or half empty for fans boarding trains, coaches and cars from what turned out to be a second consecutive weekend trip to play Charlton at the Valley.
Heading the case for the concern is the fact that the team has now gone five games without a win since a derby success at Birmingham in mid-December. Also going back a further game, critics point out that the team has failed to register a win against bottom six teams - Charlton, Wigan and Barnsley during this run where standards have admittedly slightly dropped.
It is a long held view that promotion winning sides are often built on a solid defence, and though improvements are evident from last season, there is a still a propensity to concede on a regular basis. Each goal gets scrutinised in these times of hyper fan critique and it can be harsh from a defender's perspective to get lauded a hero one week and then vilified for a crucial mistake the next. Frequently you are only judged as good as your last game.
On the other side of the argument, the positive view draws on the facts that the team has only lost twice this season and that in any successful campaign there is going to be the odd blip. It was probably unlikely that Albion and Leeds were going to maintain the sheer superiority the pair held over the rest of the division for the first half of the season. Inevitably, other teams will make a run with Fulham the likely challengers alongside Brentford, who are the form team of the moment.
Fresh from a cup win the previous weekend over today's opponents, Albion's second trip to the Valley in a week looked at times like reaping similar rewards. They led twice before being pegged back and for a twenty-minute spell in the second half some of the earlier season fluidity returned. However, a draw it ended, a result that has almost proved as common as a win in this season where Albion just don't seem to ever get beat.
Having elected to give the previous week's game a miss (in unison with many first team regulars also rested for a devalued cup competition), this was the first away game attended in 2020. My view is don't press the alarm button yet. There is still a couple of weeks of the January transfer window left to fine tune a squad equipped to make the final push, although business at this time of year is rarely fruitful. The team has a fantastic base from which a revamped return to winning ways will get them really close to the line. Faith is still intact and why not when you're top of the league.
