Jonny Drury is joined by Lewis Cox to preview West Brom's clash against Sunderland.
Lewis provides updates from Carlos Corberan's pre-match press conference, and discusses the fitness of Josh Maja and Jed Wallace.
And he talks about Corberan's view of Sunderland and an interesting tale involving the Black Cats' Jack Clarke.
Lewis provides updates from Carlos Corberan's pre-match press conference, and discusses the fitness of Josh Maja and Jed Wallace.
And he talks about Corberan's view of Sunderland and an interesting tale involving the Black Cats' Jack Clarke.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hello, Baggies fans. Welcome to ExpressingStar.com. My name is Jonny Durie. I am here with Lewis
00:12 Cox after Carlos Corbrandt's pre-match press conference ahead of the penultimate home game
00:18 of the season against Sunderland. Coxie, I'm sure there's plenty to discuss. And as always,
00:24 the fitness and injury news is what comes first. And there's two names to discuss. Jed
00:28 Wallace, who was missing on Wednesday night, and Josh Madger, who we did see but might
00:32 not see on Saturday. What's the latest with those two?
00:35 Indeed, Jonny. Good afternoon. Yeah, just finished up at Carlos's press conference. So the news
00:40 on those two, as you say, is fairly positive overall, I would say. Jed Wallace missed Wednesday's
00:48 win over Rovarin with illness, didn't he? So the aim and the plan is for Jed Wallace
00:54 to train this afternoon as we speak. The expectation is he'll come through that okay. He's feeling
01:00 better and over the illness. And if he comes through training, okay, Wallace will be involved
01:04 tomorrow, as a starter, as a sub, he'll be in the squad. That means, as a result, Josh
01:11 Madger won't be in the squad tomorrow against his former club Sunderland. And the plan is
01:15 for him to play for Albion's 21s, for Richard Beale's under-21s tonight at Manchester City.
01:22 So that's the ideal. That's the plan. Carlos Coburn has stressed that sacrificing Madger
01:28 and not having him available tomorrow against the Black Cats will be to his benefit. Those
01:34 vital minutes for the 21s. I think he's due to play an hour tonight against City's youngsters.
01:38 So that'll be massive in Madger's development and play a really big part, hopefully, in
01:44 developing his match fitness, match sharpness, so he can be a real factor for Albion from,
01:49 ideally, Leicester, Saturday week tomorrow, and then the final three games and then the
01:55 playoffs, ideally. So that's the aim. Obviously, all hinges on Wallace coming through training
02:00 today after illness, but he's expected to do that. So yeah, an interesting one, really,
02:04 in that we're seeing Madger from the bench the other night, which Carlos told me there
02:09 will be really beneficial to him, those 10 minutes against the Millers the other night.
02:13 But I think the hour he'll play this evening, albeit at 21s level, just in terms of that
02:18 match fitness and sharpness. Yes, not the intensity of the championship, but really
02:22 beneficial for Madger, then a four-week training for him next week, and then obviously Leicester.
02:27 So that'll be good. Good to have Wallace back on board, of course, always is. I don't know
02:33 if I'm trying to... I think in my predicted 11 that I've done for the Express Star newspaper
02:39 and that you can read online later today, I think Wallace will be on the bench. I expect
02:43 Tom Fellows will probably stay in, just in terms of, I think, momentum and probably rhythm.
02:51 Wallace's illness, not being well enough to be involved at all on Wednesday, that surprised
02:55 me. So yeah, positive that he's back around it. And I think good news on Madger, even
02:59 though he won't be involved tomorrow, in that he'll get those important minutes into his
03:03 legs for Beal's side tonight.
03:06 And just second of all, obviously what's Carlos said on Sunderland aside, that Corbyn's faced
03:11 three times, his Albion manager lost twice, that most recently come back, early in the
03:17 season at the Stadium. What's he said about Sunderland, who to be honest have had a bit
03:20 of an under-par season?
03:21 Yeah, I mean, they're sort of marooned in mid-table, aren't they? Are they 13th, I think
03:26 I'm right in saying? They can't do a lot, can they, in terms of up or down? Clearly
03:32 there's sort of little on the line in terms of being decisive for them. He sort of explained
03:40 Sunderland's broken up season, with the manager changes, obviously starting with Tony Mowbray
03:45 and then what happened happened with Beal, didn't it? Mick Beal. And yeah, now they're
03:50 sort of under the interim management of Mike Dodds, is it? Who was of course in charge
03:57 at the Stadium of Light in December, when Sunderland got the win, something Carlos pointed
04:01 out. Of course, that was also the day Josh Madger had his ankle ligaments basically ruptured
04:06 by that awful Dan Ballard challenge. So there's a bit of poetry really in Madger's kind of
04:11 return and Sunderland having an interim manager again. It's not gone well for them really,
04:18 considering the quality they've got in the squad as a whole. Yes, they've had problems
04:23 with availability. They're not near where they should be. Obviously, playoffs was it
04:27 for them last season and that would have been the target, I'd have thought, to improve on
04:32 that or at least match it. Clearly hasn't happened, even for the manager changes, obviously
04:36 hasn't happened. Carlos did stress, they've had Jack Clark and Patrick Roberts out injured
04:41 to the divisions, massive attacking players, two key wingers. Any side really in world
04:46 football that loses their two best attackers is going to struggle for it. And unfortunately
04:52 for Albion, both are back. And I think in Jack Clark's case, just back the recent games.
04:59 So I mean, he's such a good player, isn't he? And he's going to certainly be one to
05:02 watch tomorrow. Some very interesting quotes from Carlos Corbijn to come on Jack Clark,
05:06 because Corbijn sort of to thank for his development really. Had him as a, brought him up from
05:10 a scholar to under 23 level at Leeds did Carlos Corbijn. And Clark went on to have a big money
05:15 move to Spurs, didn't quite work and had to find his feet again at Sunderland. And some
05:21 fascinating quotes from Carlos to come about his kind of journey and how it all sort of
05:27 started really from around that time and a chance meeting with Jack Clark. But he'll
05:32 be back and around it and a big threat at the Hawthorns tomorrow. Carlos pointed out
05:36 that yes, Sunderland's form has been ropey a bit in and out. They were hammered at the
05:42 stadium of light not so long ago by Blackburn was it? I think five. And as a result, subsequently
05:47 to that, I've kept back to back clean sheets in, in goalless draws in nil nils, one of
05:52 them coming at Leeds. So, you know, for them to go and achieve that stalemate there and
05:57 get a point from Ellen Road is some go in, isn't it? And shows, I think, to Albion that
06:02 yes, nothing on the line from them, but they're going to, I think, be tough not to crack really
06:07 tough to break down. Yes, I haven't scored in those goalless draws, but as I mentioned
06:11 with Clark around and yeah, I don't think for a second it'll be easy tomorrow. I remember
06:14 speaking Johnny on recent podcasts and me putting down tomorrow's possibly as a, as
06:19 a draw in my prediction. So I don't think it'll be easy. Even though they're sort of
06:24 marooned in the middle of the table and I think it'll be a test. And I think it's almost
06:29 there for Albion, isn't it? Mathematically, that top six nearly, nearly, nearly, nearly
06:34 rubber stamped. I think if Albion win tomorrow, they can put results go their way. Of course,
06:39 they can put a 12 points between them and seventh and the chasers would only have 12
06:44 to play for. So obviously goal difference, which, which is also in Albion's favour. So
06:48 it can almost be done tomorrow. And obviously three games to come after that. So there's
06:53 a lot on the line and to make it sort of back to back home wins Wednesday. That did be great
06:58 for momentum and confidence, won't it? Shillen Patel again, the chairman, the owner will
07:02 be there. So yeah, lots to look forward to tomorrow. I think it'll be a good game. I
07:06 don't think by any means it'll be an easy game, but one, one Carlos Coburn on his side
07:09 will, will hope to get another three points from.