Lewis Cox & Jonny Drury on West Brom's 'statement' win over Leeds United

Express & Star

Lewis Cox and Jonny Drury analyse West Brom's huge win over Leeds in the final win game of 2023. Albion had the better of the first half chances and went ahead thanks to Grady Diangana's close range effort. In the second period Carlos Corberan's men had to defend for long periods, putting in a superb backs to the wall display. The win ensures Albion end the year with back to back wins and move within three points of the top four.

Transcript

00:00 Bangers fans. Welcome to express and start.com. I'm alongside Albion correspondent, Lewis

00:13 Cox for the final time at the Hawthorns this season. And it has been a memorable, memorable

00:17 evening. I'll be in have beaten Legionited by one goal to nail. Call it what you want.

00:22 Cox superb display. I called it a tin hat job in the second half of thing, but I'll

00:26 be going ahead for grading Ghana and then defended in the way to Chris Kamara. Remember

00:31 that one? They defended like beavers in the second half. Absolutely tremendous. But you

00:35 must go to defend. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But fantastic display. Fantastic way to end 2023. A real

00:44 statement went from Albion. Quality Johnny. What a night really. I mean, this place was

00:49 loud, wasn't it? It was rocking. It roared. You know, the fans just willed and roared

00:55 Albin home. I mean, I don't know if they needed it because it didn't look for a second. I

00:58 lead to scoring. Did it really? Let's be honest. That final half an hour plus an array of like

01:05 Premier League quality attackers on the pitch. Daniel Foster just loved them all on. So,

01:10 you know, sod it. Let's go for it. And they didn't create a single thing. They can remember

01:14 Alex Palmer making a save because I don't think I can. Made one in the first second

01:17 off. I mean, towards you made one of the first time he made a real vital tip or a punch in

01:21 the second and second half. But yeah, massive, massive night.

01:27 Statement win, definitely. And it's obviously been significant for the table and really

01:31 lead in a little bit, created a gap to seven. I think it was a magnificent night, a real

01:37 night of belief and togetherness for squad and fans. It was loud and maybe it was always

01:43 going to be a decent, you know, good atmosphere because it's fourth against fifth under the

01:48 lights, all of that. People have had time in the pub. But the performance and result,

01:54 but certainly the performance helped in there. It was tireless. The defending, you're right.

01:58 What you said at the top, I don't know about beavers, but about the defending generally

02:02 unbelievable.

02:03 Never heard that one.

02:04 No, I have. I have. I just don't understand. I'm not going to explain it. That'd be good.

02:11 Unbelievable. The changes work to a T. Before the game, the subs work to a T. Tactical masterclass,

02:17 but the resilience and organisation was spot on, wasn't it? The subs that came on, unbelievable.

02:26 Who aren't going to individuals, but a J to come into the side and perform like that.

02:30 Yeah. What a night. Great, great night. Massive night. And through our platform to move on

02:36 from now, isn't it? To put that in in this spell of games and Christmas time is some

02:40 effort really.

02:41 Absolutely. You know, complete turnaround in the last four days from that, you know,

02:44 disappointing defeat at a bar to one mil wins today. Coxy, you're a miss meeting me. Yeah,

02:48 yeah. That was you. You're the, you're the lucky charm, but we've seen a lot this is

02:52 now we have kept the lock.

02:54 She'd certainly here, but it was a different type of performance today. They played, you

02:58 know, it seemed like Carlos has set them up to play on the break, which obviously worked

03:02 in the first half. You know, I'll be good about two or three goals in that first period.

03:05 Granted, it didn't have a lot of second half, but it was very much a different display than

03:08 we've seen at times of season.

03:10 I'm hope so. And I, you know, that is down to the opposition, but the game plan worked

03:14 with it.

03:15 Well, you're right to mention the clean sheets, mate, to be fair, because that's a 12th in

03:17 25 as good as 50 percent, isn't it? Games. Daniel Farquhar in there is just referenced

03:23 it says everything really. I don't look next best is Lester with 10. Yeah. So and then

03:29 nine and under. So while they're doing defensively is quite amazing, actually, I think considering

03:35 there were no clean sheets at the start of the season, but what they're doing between

03:38 Palmer and the back line and the defensive midfielders, I mean, I'll call you, because

03:41 you can use the best part of the park tonight.

03:43 Both sides. Yeah. First time, 15 minutes lead on top, weren't they? And kind of four hours

03:50 it's going to go. I'll be nervy and age. Yeah. Yeah. I thought that nervous energy at the

03:55 start, like they knew it was a big game and couldn't get up. Yeah. Couldn't settle. But

04:00 once they did, I mean, before the goal, Kipfers had one played off the line, hasn't he? Which

04:05 I suppose nine times out of 10 goes in. And you cautiously buries the rebound.

04:09 A little bit of a big chance. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I thought from minutes 15 to 20 to half

04:14 time, it was I'll be on top. I thought when the Brady Dean guy goal slash winner came

04:20 around in the first seven minute, I thought I'll be a good value for it. Deserved it.

04:23 Deserved the lead. And second off, one of the colleagues, I colleagues, I just said

04:27 to Carlos in that second, our first 1015 until the hour when Farquhar went, so I've gone.

04:33 Oh, I'll be in charge on top and not for that half hour, I suppose, and all the attackers

04:38 on maybe later or is going to have a lot of the ball, more of the ball. But I've been

04:44 about a lot harder finale than that this season. In terms of chances, conceded goals, conceded

04:49 today. I mean, not that Palmer could have got his deck chair out, but he wasn't really

04:55 tested, was he? Let's be honest. Well, ironically, Daniel Farquhar has just said that Kyle Darlow

04:59 could have put his shirt back in the cupboard in the second half. I think Alex Palmer could

05:02 have done that. Well, again, although I think they might have scored if they just saw there

05:06 wasn't a goalkeeper and he made a vital punch at one point. Just finally, Coxy, there was

05:10 a quote in the programme from Carlos Ford, which I've just tweeted and I was going to

05:13 tweet before the game and I didn't. But it said, we're happy with the progress we've

05:18 made in 2023. You know, we hope to make more progress in 2024. This win in the final game

05:26 of 2023, does this sort of underline just how far Albin have come in the last 12 months?

05:31 Now, I know there's been periods where fans have been a bit frustrated here, frustrated

05:34 maybe with performances, you know, given everything that they've gone through, injuries, and they

05:38 are doing that again at the moment. The evolution of this team under Carlos Corbijn, does that

05:42 result more than performance, but results typify what he's done, the job that he's done?

05:48 It's funny when you mention evolution, because obviously he hasn't been able to get anyone in,

05:51 really. You know, two loans and one permanent who's injured. So the evolution of the team

05:55 he inherited, obviously, which is the point you make. So, massive, massive progress. I said,

06:03 I think you're right with that. I think full time, before full time, without wanting to

06:07 tempt fate to you, I said, I didn't have 10 minutes to go, I said...

06:10 You do this all the time.

06:11 Yeah, I know.

06:11 You got away with it today.

06:13 I did get away with it today. You get a little bit on edge, don't you? You know, a little bit

06:18 nervy and all that.

06:19 The cocks, the jinks will start working.

06:22 I just leaned over and I said, yeah, this is big. This is a huge win here. You know,

06:30 Albin have been brilliant, Leeds haven't, but Albin haven't let them be brilliant.

06:33 Which, look at the squad they've got, really. I mean, the £36 million attacker for one.

06:39 You know, Daniel James coming off the bench, it's all right, isn't it? Many others.

06:43 You could go on and on, couldn't you, through their attackers have bampered.

06:47 I know he's obviously struggling at the minute, but what a statement win. And the progress,

06:54 yeah, what he's been able to do. We've seen it gradually, haven't we? I remember in the

06:59 early days of Corbijn, it was kind of... Yes, they went on a good run, but it was sort of

07:04 hit and miss here and there. It fell away a bit. This season started a little bit limply,

07:08 didn't it? And August, September, we were like, there was two wins in the first eight,

07:13 something like that. And boy, oh boy, from September, something's clicked defensively,

07:19 I'm back to basic genius, really. I didn't... It might not be everyone's cup of tea, the style

07:26 in terms of attacking and how attacks are built and all that. But, I mean, substance over style,

07:32 really, isn't it? I do, it's not working. Yeah, you know, the league table, I think,

07:36 we'd have all of... This is a strong championship, isn't it? Like, really, you know, this is a strong

07:40 championship this season compared to last season. Different gravy, really. And for Albin to be where

07:46 they are, I think it's a magnificent effort, to be honest. There's been some stiffy points,

07:50 don't get me wrong. I mean, Borough was woeful, wasn't it? There's been others, but not too many,

07:55 thankfully. And just the resilience and organisation and detail and workload. Like,

08:03 this is a small squad, realistically, for Albin and Championship standard, and we know why upstairs

08:09 and the ongoing takeover situation that's happening. And Carlos not being able to buy and

08:13 add to his squad. It's a small squad. It's got quality, but it's small. And it's, like most

08:18 clubs, had injuries all season, which is, par for the course, really, a lot of bad luck because

08:22 they've all come in attack. And for much of it, the same players have to be flogged and flogged

08:27 and flogged and flogged. I spoke with Dean Garner down there after the game. You know, he had six

08:31 months out. He's had to be flogged ever since. And others are in the same situation. And he must

08:37 have them so together and such belief that they can keep going and keep going to the well. And to

08:44 do this in a Christmas period, that was a mammoth, proper marathon out there, the way they fought

08:51 and kept going. Unbelievable. And the test is like Swansea now. Very, very different from this,

08:58 isn't it? Struggling Swansea. And they're not all going to be like this. Their performance levels

09:02 aren't always all going to be like that tonight. It's just digging in there and sticking in there,

09:07 isn't it? And that gap I mentioned at the top to seventh is going to be key. If Albin can just

09:12 find harder along and maintain a gap of more than three points to that position,

09:18 they'll be laughing really well in their targets and teams above them. No leads. One winning five.

09:24 Why can't they continue to reel leads in? Maybe top two. It's not gone, but it's a huge mammoth

09:31 task. That's a big ask in Southampton. They're sniffing, obviously. But we said a while ago,

09:38 with the big, tough run of games, didn't we? If Albin will be there on the other side

09:41 of those and coming into Jan, I think that'll stick it out. And they're sticking and staying

09:44 power at the minute. Where we are for the season has been unbelievable. And credit to them. What

09:50 a way to go out for the year, like you said, Jonny. The year started with optimism, didn't it?

09:54 I remember. We had a couple of home games here. Preston Reading.

09:59 Yeah. And there was a lot of like, it was amid the unbelievable early run under Carlos and

10:03 obviously it tailed in Jan, didn't it? Yeah. I feel like a lot more, much more of a consistent

10:10 Albin side now. But a lot of things to come out now. A lot of things to happen in January. AfCon,

10:14 hopefully, ownership situation resolves itself as planned and currently on track too. So a lot of

10:21 things to happen in the next couple of months. And we look forward to it. And we look forward

10:25 to heading down to South Wales, don't we, in a few days. We do indeed. Fantastic way to end

10:30 at 2023. Final score here at the Hawthorns for the final time of the year. West Brom 1-0. All

10:35 the rest of your reaction go to ExpressAndStart.com.

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