March 3rd: Fifty Years and Counting: West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United

Between 1966 and 1970 West Bromwich Albion reached four major English cup finals sharing the spills with two wins and two defeats. Following this FA Cup fifth round defeat to Newcastle, the half century mark has been reached since that last final in 1970 with pointers suggesting the wait for a Wembley return on such an occasion could be an even lengthier process. It can hardly be said that Albion have been continually knocking on the door in the intervening years with only three FA Cup semi-finals and a solitary League Cup last four appearance reaping the rewards of an annual pursuit. 

It is an often mooted statistic that around half the teams in the league have graced a final since the Albion last did, and it has not always been down to the club having a side incapable of surging on a deep competition run. In fact for approximately half of this time, the club has been a top flight team, but still progress seemed to be allusive. This year's FA Cup run ended at the fifth road hurdle with a three-two home defeat to Newcastle, so it is hardly a disgrace to go out to a team from a higher division. 

Despite the difference in league status, a shock would not have been unexpected with Albion riding high at the top of the Championship and the visitors currently on a bad run seeing them slide down the Premier League. The priorities of each club were represented in the line ups with Albion using a keen eye on promotion as a reason to rest a large number of first team regulars, while Newcastle fielded a fairly strong first eleven giving the signal that a prolonged cup run may re-ignite their season. 

The game panned out as per the starting team sheets with Newcastle cashing in on a slightly lacklustre Albion performance by racing to a three-nil lead just after half time. A few adjustments later, Albion began to show why the gulf between the two sides may not be that wide and narrowed the deficit to a single goal before time ran out. 

Post match analysis raised the issue of what would have happened had fewer changes been made at the start, but this was countered by those stating that incurring injuries to key players with just ten games remaining of a promotion challenge would be madness.

Therein lies the conundrum. As much as fans would love a cup run, priorities for the management and the club are in the league especially when you are team like Albion forever hovering between the top of the Championship and bottom of the Premier. So year on year evidence gathers of not taking the cup competitions seriously by continually playing a weakened team and sowing the seeds of always looking like concentrating on the league. Seemingly absurd to the outside, but wholly representative of the make up of modern football and its financial structure.

Is this likely to change in the future? As a football fan you never give up hope. Good luck to Newcastle and their vociferous army of 5,000 travelling fans making an awful lot of noise on a Tuesday night over 200 miles from home. For Albion it is the hope that the jinx may end at fifty one. In the meantime it's fifty years and counting, although the immediate future focusses on that all important promotion push and the proverbial 'ten cup finals' remaining of the 2019-20 season. 

February 29th: Fantastic February? - West Bromwich Albion v Wigan Athletic

Fantastic February was a pre-written headline for this final West Bromwich Albion reflection of the month, though the question mark was added after the team lost one-nil at home to relegation threatened Wigan on the last day of a month extended by one day courtesy of its four-year leap cycle. The word 'leap' only applied to the day and not any league table movements as Albion still head the table, although the lead had been cut to one point from Leeds and six points to Fulham in the all-important third placed position. 

After a successful points haul of sixteen from the month's previous six games, it stalled at this figure as Wigan replicated their recent resurgent form by producing a sterling performance good enough to stifle Albion's attacking potency, and significantly clinical to take the main chance they were offered in the second half. All in all it was a fair result and one maybe reflecting the glut of games teams have to play in a clogged up EFL championship campaign.

This was probably a game too far in February for Albion as both the midfield and strike-force spluttered into only a shadow of their pristine previous performances. The defence was mainly resolute, but keeping a clean sheet was ultimately beyond them. 

The result of this game will likely be large chunks of the first team taking a week off playing duties, leaving a bunch of second string players appearing in the midweek cup match at home to Newcastle. A sad but realistic indictment of the FA Cup in these modern times. 

Of course set backs are going to be prevalent in even the most successful of championship campaigns. So the fact that this was only Albion's fifth defeat of the season with just ten games left is a testimony to how well they played as a whole. Social media reaction to this defeat was philosophical in the main with much credit given to Wigan's set up and execution. Although this was pitched with the warning that this cannot be a common occurrence over the last ten games otherwise the chances of getting caught by Fulham in particular would increase, especially with the two meeting in the third from last game of the season. 

No player mentions in this post game reflection, also probably an indictment on the afternoon. League action now moves into the major month of March with the first home game set to be covered being the local derby with Birmingham on the 14th. In the meantime, it's time to put on our FA Cup hats and rosettes and welcome the Geordies from Newcastle to The Hawthorns on Tuesday night. Will it be 1974 all over again. Check in on Wednesday to find out. Fantastic February? yes, despite today. Marvellous March? that would all but seal it. 

February 25th: We're on Our Way: West Bromwich Albion v Preston North End

The chant 'we're on our way' reverberated around the vociferous areas of The Hawthorns as Albion extended their lead at the top of the EFL Championship following a two-nil victory over Preston North End. This took their February points haul to sixteen, a very healthy accumulation at a time of the year where key promotion drives tend to kick on. The overwhelming view on this latest win was that all areas of the team are functioning well and the signs are getting stronger that the Premier League is on the horizon. There may well have been a routine nature to the game, which Albion dominated from start to finish, though helped in the latter stages when a straight red card reduced the visitors to ten men. In reality, Preston produced a very tame effort, even with a full eleven, for a team lying in sixth place with a firm eye on challenging for a play-off place. 

The football served in the first half was as slick as the greasy surface watered by wintery downpours with sublime elements especially found in the midfield play. Matheus Pereira pulled the strings as the Brazilian has done all season, and he continues to gel with rejuvenated fellow loanee Filip Krovinovic. Jake Livermore, christened 'Captain Fantastico' by the supporters crowned another domineering and strong impactful performance with a rare goal, while Rekeem Harper showed glimpses of what made him a highly rated young player only twelve months ago when deputising for the suspended Romaine Sawyers. 

Up front there were once again vital contributions from Callum Robinson and Hal Robson-Kanu, with the former setting up the latter for the opening goal following a pinpoint accurate pass. The defence was just as effective in their own way with another clean sheet, the fourth of what is turning out to be a 'fantastic' February. While Kyle Bartley has been a revelation at centre half all season, you get the impression manager Slaven Billic is finally blooding his preferred central defensive pairing with Ahmed Hegazi showing his true mettle at this level alongside the ever consistent Semi Ajayi. The biggest plusses in the defence have been the ever improving performances of Connor Townsend and Dara O'Shea. Townsend has not looked back since scoring the winner in the cup at West Ham and you can even hear the whisper, is Kieran Gibbs going to get back in when fit. A few have queried replacing Darnell Furlong at right back with O'Shea, but this shrewd move by the manager is reaping dividends from the strong defensive and assured displays given by the young Irishman. 

In fact on another successful evening, the only player who didn't shine was goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, by virtue that Preston failed to trouble him with hardly a memorable shot over the ninety minutes. It was that comfortable a win. 

'We're on our way' may not be the most original chant to emanate from the singing sections, but you can't deny its accuracy. Wigan Athletic next up at home on Saturday followed by the fifth round FA Cup clash with Newcastle in a week's time. Busy days at The Hawthorns but hugely satisfying ones at the moment. 

February 22nd: Journey or Destination: Bristol City v West Bromwich Albion

The phrase 'journey or destination' is one used many times in my writing and has fascinated me for a long time. This concept has no clearer definition now than the feeling among West Bromwich Albion fans as they watch their team make an increasingly likely pursuit of a return to the Premier League. This pursuit took a major step towards realisation after a three-nil win at Bristol City on Saturday that left Albion nine points clear of third placed Fulham with only twelve games of the season remaining. This was a third successive triumph on the road and an impressive points haul of thirteen out of fifteen since emerging from a slight mid-winter slump at the start of February. So with a rosy outlook beaming from the club and its positive (at the moment) fanbase why should such a concept as 'journey or destination' shine a light.

An overwhelming sense of joy and exhilaration was abound in the away section of Ashton Gate on Saturday with three thousand travelling fans lapping up every minute of a promotion drive that not only delivers winning football, but one matching expectation and attacking ideal. Indeed a long distance from some of the more conservative fare served up when trying to remain in the Premier League during our most recent eight year tenure up there. This pattern has largely been in place since relegation in 2018, moving Albion from underdog status in the top flight to one of serious challengers in the Championship. For many fans this is a total release, and an excitement that many feel can only occur for a club of our size in the second tier. Thus lies the conundrum, is the journey of promotion far greater than the prize of reclaiming a place in the top league and rubbing shoulders once again with the elite of English football.

On one hand this is an absurd notion. You should always strive to at least compete with the best. Also the revenues accrued from being in the Premier League ensure a certain calibre of player is recruited along with enhancing the financial stability of the club. There is also the matter of parachute payments upon the eventual relegation to bolster any subsequent promotion challenge. Since first gaining promotion to the Premier League in 2002, Albion have been relegated four times. On two of those occasions they came straight back up and a third they endured only two seasons before promotion, although the unsuccessful attempt only occurred through a play off final loss at Wembley in 2007. While no-one connected to the club is going to preach complacency, the signs are looking good at this point of time to make the return in two seasons. 

To counter this argument, the second tier of English football has been kind to Albion over the last twenty years. Since Gary Megson revitalised the club in 200, they have never finished below sixth in the seven seasons spent in it, and in 2008 claimed only the second league title in the club's history by winning the Championship. Each of these seasons have created an incredible sense of excitement and arguably some of the club's finest moments in recent times. 

In contrast, life in the Premier League is a different kettle of fish. All of a sudden survival is the name of the game and memories are afresh of Tony Pulis adopting a rather pragmatic mode of football to stay up. An air of negativity hung around the club during large parts of the recent eight year period in the top flight, one that seems to get blown away as soon as they slip into the league below. Of course this is conditional to quickly adapting to life in the new division and mounting a promotion push straight away. The club have generally accomplished this over the last two decades, so newer fans are removed from the darker days when the team perennially struggled in the lower levels. 

As we sail past the three-quarter mark of the 2019-20 season, we are clearly on track for another of these highly exciting championship football seasons, adored by many of the fans who are hooked in not only by the more purist nature of football at this level, but the pre-match anticipation of going into matches as favourites. There is nothing like watching winning football whatever the level. 

The destination may well be the Premier League in May, but many fans are savouring this wonderful journey. Yes, there is mileage in debating this concept. No, we can't win the league and stay down! 

February 15th: Back on Track: West Bromwich Albion v Nottingham Forest

Dennis and Ciara may have dominated the last two sporting weekends, but West Bromwich Albion are negotiating this stormy season quite serenely as the promotion charge is firmly back on track. While playing conditions were rather tricky both at last weekend's win at Millwall and this latest clash with fellow promotion challengers Forest, it has coincided with Albion largely returning to the autumn form that blew a massive hole in the race for Premier League. Since the last blog post where a long awaited win was recorded, Albion have gone on to amass a further seven points, and have now restored the margin over third placed Fulham to that aforementioned points haul.  

If we had clung on to the narrow two-one lead as the added time board was raised, the lead at the top would have been even healthier, almost reaching the point where you can start to cross off the required wins to get over the line. Despite the quality finish that salvaged Forest a point in this two-two draw, it was Albion who made most of the running during the game, dominating play and creating enough chances to more than see off their East Midland neighbours. 

There was almost a further unexpected twist at the last kick of the game where Albion had a goal ruled offside. A fitting end to a game which literally rained with controversy, much contributed by some officiating which was deemed questionable at times. Still the most pleasing thing from attending this lunch time televised game was the extent that Albion mastered the conditions and generally played some lovely football on the ground with impressive performances from a number of players in this now settled side.

Manager Slaven Billic named an unchanged eleven for the third successive game which included a midweek win at Reading. It was pleasing to see new on-loan recruit Callum Robinson get on the scoring sheet for the first time as he has hit the ground running since joining the club at the end of January. Punctuating Forest's last gasp equaliser and Robinson's opener were a couple of own goals, mainly the result of quality balls put into the box on a tricky surface ensuring that this game was not going to end goalless. 

Later in the afternoon, Albion's promotion challenge was further strengthened by rivals Fulham and Brentford dropping points, a theme from the midweek games as well. In fact only Leeds of the top six recorded a victory, but recent results have contributed to them trailing Albion by four points in second place. 

While the recent three game winning streak was halted by this draw, the statement that Albion are now firmly 'back on track' can be confidently conveyed. There are now only thirteen games of the season left and the race is definitely hotting up. Storm Dennis and Ciara may have left destruction in their wake elsewhere, but their winds have blew West Bromwich Albion a lot nearer the Premier League. 

February 1st: Relief at Last - West Bromwich Albion v Luton Town

How can relief be an emotion when your team has just returned to the top of the league? Perhaps it is the case of context and how the modern world revolves around the immediate rather than the bigger picture. Back on the distant day of December 14th 2019 West Bromwich Albion came from behind to win a local derby at Birmingham and were so far clear of the chasing pack it would not have been remiss to think that one foot was already in the premier league. A preposterous notion when there was still over half the season left, but you couldn't deny the air of optimism and confidence.

The caveat was that a blip was always round the corner and true to this precedent the team went winless for the next seven league outings. The term 'must win game' is one of the most over used and ludicrous phrases in football, give or take the odd elimination game, and yet it was yelled from the roof tops as bottom of the league Luton Town rolled up at The Hawthorns for a game on the first day of February.

On the day after the transfer window closes, you know the hand you've got to play with for the remainder of the season and of Albion's three new recruits only Callum Robinson featured in this 'must win game'. Not only did we finally end the winless run with a two nil victory over the hapless visitors, but results elsewhere saw us return to the division's summit. It was a measure of the magnitude of the early season results that not too much ground had been lost. If you were starting the season now with a four point lead of third place and sixteen games to go, optimism would be soaring and maybe this will return on the basis of the relief sensed from this victory.

To Robinson's credit he hit the ground running in his club debut and was amongst a clutch of players giving a performance more than sufficient to beat the bottom of the league and offer hope that there will be enough in the squad to acquire the required number of points over the next three months.

Last week's blog post of the cup match at West Ham was the first success published during this year of 2020CMS and now with a league win under the belt things are looking back on track. For the record an early own goal settled the nerves in this two nil win with the second coming just at the right time to see the game out. Essentially, upon reflection the win was rarely in doubt and could have been by a greater margin. But when you haven't won for seven games, a nagging doubt still lingers as you sit in the stands.

Onwards and upwards to the next game set to be featured in this blog when high flying Nottingham Forest visit in two week's time. In the meantime, focus will switch back onto the music with a handful of upcoming gigs.

January 25th: Up for the Cup - West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion

Thirty eight years ago almost to the day, a left back scored the winning goal for West Bromwich Albion in an away FA Cup 4th Round tie. A vision still clear in the mind many years later. Now, there is no Albion fan of relevant vintage that is going to link Derek Statham and Conor Townsend in the same conversation, but you can't deny the synergy between 1982 and 2020. Statham's winner at Gillingham all those years ago inspired a cup run that ended at the penultimate hurdle of a semi final defeat to QPR. Time will tell how far we will progress in 2020 but for now we can just bask in the glory of Townsend's spectacular winner at the London Stadium that dumped Premier League West Ham out of the cup. 

Back in '82, Albion were a top flight side denying plucky Gillingham a cup upset. Although Albion were the clear underdogs in status this time, a team from the top of the championship winning at a Premier league struggler is hardly a cup shock for the ages. As you would expect in these times of a watered down FA Cup, changes were aplenty, but you could argue that Albion rested more first team regulars than their hosts. In fact the one-nil scoreline was a more comfortable experience than the slender margin it seems as West Ham failed to create many clear cut chances and arguably were the second best side on the day by a considerable margin.

Albion were bouyed by a fervent 5,000 away following making the trip from the Midlands down to the capital. The London Stadium may well have been packed to its capacity for this cup tie, but this soulless shell of a pseudo-football ground was hardly a cauldron of fear. In contrast to Staham's last ditch winner, Townsend's decisive strike came in the first half and there were few heart-in-the-mouth moments for the remainder of the game.

This was Albion's third visit to the capital in the month of January after a couple of trips to Charlton including the 3rd Round tie that yielded the same score and result. All three trips remained unbeaten and it is full fingers crossed that the cup run will inspire a return to winning ways in the league. 

You have to expect in these modern times for teams to prioritise the league over the cup. It will not be music to the ears of the club's accountants, but many fans would trade a failed promotion bid to lift the FA Cup in May. The chances are a lot less for the latter, especially with the big guns dominating the competition more now than in the past, but dreams are what keeps a football fan in optimistic mode. 

The 5th Road is inexplicably held in midweek this year, so a blog post is determined by a home draw or a Midlands away tie - the winner of Coventry-Birmingham would be nice. In the meantime let's just reflect on a successful trip to West Ham and the flame of a promotion and cup double to repeat 1931 still alight. 

January 20th: Blog Jinx or Crisis - West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City

Well, three Albion games into this blog and still no win to report. Of course this venture only charts games seen live and to be fair they did record a success at Charlton in the cup which sets up a decent tie with West Ham this coming weekend. However the league games haven't gone to plan with the first two matches ending in draws before slumping to a one-nil defeat at home to Stoke City in this Monday night match. 

In yet another match relieved of its Saturday 3 o'clock kick off for the benefit of Sky TV, Albion were buoyed by nearest rivals Leeds dropping three points a couple of days earlier. A win would have seen the lead at the top of the division extend to four points and a further convincing healthy margin from those leading the chasing pack. Unfortunately a flat lifeless performance followed and we never recovered from conceding an early goal to a Stoke side on an upward trajectory in terms of resilience and organisation. 

Of greater concern is a winless run of six league games stretching back to mid-December and a period where the chasing pack are quickly closing the gap to the extent of snapping at the heels. While some perspective requires seeking in this age of a social media landscape where instant reaction supplants the bigger picture, there are still visible signs of the early season key ingredients missing. 

Perhaps time has come for manager - Slaven Bilic - to repay the adulation relentlessly bestowed upon him since joining in July with some effective adjustment. Player staleness and system malfunction requires addressing along with maybe a little injection of new blood before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. 

There will always be a slice of scepticism when Albion do well and many long-term supporters brace themselves for a tumble when a lofty position is reached. In essence this is not a crisis, but a massive sense check that things will have to change for the promise of the first half of the season not to filter away. 

Not all games between now and May will feature in 2020CMS, but there are enough that any blog jinx will impact greatly. Let's hope this is just a myth. 

January 11th: Capital Conundrum - Charlton Athletic v West Bromwich Albion

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.

January 1st: New Year's Day Stalemate - West Bromwich Albion v Leeds United

A new year, a new beginning and a new project. One that will saunter around the familiar and the not so. A rich blend of predictability and fascinating surprise. From the sports grounds to the music venues, a twelve month journey that will likely provide quite a few twists. It is often mooted that the journey is more important than the destination and time will tell in the life of 2020cms the extent of this. At the outset, the destination is quite simply December 31st or as soon as the book closes on the sporting and cultural journey of 2020. Chances are quite high that the opening and closing gambits will be in the same arena. One frequented avidly for many years and often the scene of fluctuating fortunes. Consistency is likely to be elsewhere as the year progresses, although it would be nice if such a high level exists this year in the B71 post code. 

2020cms begins its life at The Hawthorns (B71 4LF) and the New Year's Day highly anticipated promotion clash between West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United. These two pacesetters in the English Football League Championship have been neck and neck at the division's summit since August and well clear of a rather inconsistent chasing pack. If you are to put great credence in the assessment of the wise world of the bookmaker, the merry month of May will see both these teams promoted to the Premier League, a lengthier wait for Leeds than the two years since Albion suffered relegation in 2018. Yet nothing is won in January. 

For the record, the opening live event attended in 2020 ended in a one-one draw as Albion failed to capitalise on a dream start of taking the lead in the opening minute. To be fair, a point apiece, which kept Leeds in top place on goal difference, was a just result with the Yorkshire side dominating the play if not the clear cut chances. Albion suffered a slightly stuttering run of form ahead of this billed 'big clash', not helped by a busy festive period of matches that stretch the stamina of clubs unable to rotate a star studded array of international calibre players like the Premier League big boys. Still the performance was a genuine improvement on the last few games and sets up an exciting second half of the season where it has to be said 'promotion is there to lose'. 

The Hawthorns is set to be play a prominent role in 2020cms. Field of dreams or field of nightmares, who knows between January and May, and more so, what level of football will it be hosting from August to December. The journey has started and a project is underway. Wish me luck through the dog days and hard yards. Precedence suggests there may be 150 posts lying in wait. Maybe this stamina test will slightly restrict the quick passing of time that can afflict a twelve month period when you reach a certain age. See you at the next instalment, at this stage another football match before the live music cranks up into gear.