Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox give their take on Albion's 2-1 win over Stoke City.
Karlan Grant headed Albion ahead - the first of three goals in the game in 13 minutes.
Stoke levelled through Lewis Koumas, before Josh Maja swept home a Tom Fellows cross.
The boys reflect on the display, key positives and the impact of the new boys.
Karlan Grant headed Albion ahead - the first of three goals in the game in 13 minutes.
Stoke levelled through Lewis Koumas, before Josh Maja swept home a Tom Fellows cross.
The boys reflect on the display, key positives and the impact of the new boys.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Baggies fans, welcome to ExpressingStyle.com, my name is Jonny Durie, I'm here with Lewis
00:11Cox and a few mowers in the background if you can hear them at the Bet365 stadium, Albion
00:16have won by two goals to one, two away wins on the trot.
00:20Coxy?
00:21Seven from nine.
00:22Seven from nine.
00:23Brilliant start to the campaign.
00:24Yeah.
00:25Sum up what you've seen today my friend.
00:28Really good.
00:29Impressive.
00:30Obviously two on win, it was probably more comfortable than two on I would say, all the
00:35goals in a chaotic, frenetic first half that I don't think either manager would have been
00:40happy with really, even Carlos.
00:43I think he was very happy having just spoken with him in the second half, controlled, professional,
00:49efficient.
00:50Carlos Corbijn type of second half.
00:52Yeah, definitely.
00:53Unquestionable.
00:54Yeah, it's just been a great away day hasn't it, the 3,000 sold out away end, their new
01:00away end in the corner at the Bet365, they loved it, rightly so, the scenes at full time
01:05were great, reminiscent of some big wins last season.
01:09It's just, it's been a real big summer hasn't it, a lot of change, a lot of outs, a lot
01:15of ins, still going on as we speak, with less than a week of the window left and while it
01:20is going on, players coming back, all of that sort of stuff, Albion are sort of sailing
01:26on aren't they, you know, making light work of the changes, looking a different side,
01:31playing a different way, really, really impressive, they kept Stoke at arm's length in that second
01:37half didn't they, I can't, Lewis Kumas, who made us all feel at home today, hit the post
01:43in the second half, but that was, you know, Albion invited that on, gave it away, led
01:47to that chance, but that was the only thing Stoke made in that second half, otherwise
01:51Albion were watertight, we'll get on to it, but late cameos from new boys who we haven't
01:57fully seen yet, but were very, very good here, Frabata, Diakite, Dobbin, Wallace, we've seen
02:04him, really good as well, those late cameos were really important and all round a fantastic
02:10away then.
02:11That was indeed one thing that we've seen from Albion in the opening weeks of the season,
02:15didn't score last week at least, but certainly away from home, QPR and here, took the chances
02:22that they created at QPR were not wasteful, took the chances they created there weren't
02:26wasteful, apart from the one that Fellows had hooked off the line, you know, they haven't
02:29had a mountain of chances but they've taken them and that seems to be the difference.
02:32Yeah, I mean, you just said Fellows there for the first time in this video, we haven't
02:36mentioned Tom Fellows and my match reporter said that Tom Fellows inspired Albion, two
02:41assists for the two goals, as I say, all three goals came in 13 minutes in the first half
02:47I think, so look, Fellows, I mean, he's seriously outstanding isn't he, I don't, Corbans just
02:54said to me, not giving too much away here, but nothing he does surprises, the club, his
02:59teammates, the staff, but I rate him as highly as anyone, but he keeps delivering doesn't
03:05he, he keeps delivering, what a player he is, people know what he can do but they can't
03:11stop him, he's got a signature move we all know about but by the time he crossed for
03:15Grant for the opening goal, he'd already beat the full-back three times and crossed
03:20and it's just remarkable really and what a player the academy has produced in Fellows
03:25really, quite special to be honest, so full credit him, full credit Carlin Grant who drew
03:32a lot of praise from the head coach after today's first Albion goal in a long, long
03:36time, was brave to take it and he put in a real shift, that's what Corban wanted to
03:41emphasise and a word for Josh Madra, not alone in having a hard time a bit last season, we
03:47know about his struggles in his debut campaign, what a goal that was, when you held down in
03:51front of the away corner, what a finish, Fellows so smart with a full-back, clinical, you're
03:56right, the other one, lists and lists of chances were there, I remember a Moet shot in the
04:01second half, it was pretty close, Fellows went over and into the side netting but not
04:05too many but clinical and that's really encouraging isn't it because I think, I don't think
04:12Albion have ever been sort of a free-flowing but created bucket loads of chances under
04:18Carlos Corban but they've had to, they've took the odd goal or two when they have and
04:22obviously with that, they've stuttered at times and maybe drawn games where they should
04:26have perhaps gone for it a bit more but this obviously leads at home last week, it's a
04:30different case I guess but in these away games certainly today we're seeing a clinical touch
04:35we're seeing a striker who knows where the goal is, four league goals after three games
04:39it's not bad is it, you know, countless wing options he can deliver, certainly one, massive
04:47one and real positives going forward, real positives and it was shaky defensively wasn't
04:52it, first half it really was, I don't think Ajayi and Bartley had quite settled really,
04:58Ajayi vastly improved after the break, I think so did Bartley but second half, water tight
05:03as I said and it's been a great day hasn't it, it's been a superb victory, things are
05:07really locked in but it's difficult at this stage and you'll balance me out here I dare
05:12say and maybe we'll get into this more in a week in a podcast but it's only been three
05:17games, three league games and seven points from nine is relatively unimportant I think
05:23but it's quite difficult not to be seriously encouraged and optimistic after the start.
05:28It's more the style of play and I think another positive to come from today which we haven't
05:32seen so far is, we have praised and we will praise after the end of the window the business
05:40that Albion have done but the other thing we need to talk about today is the strength
05:44and depth which was probably one of the main concerns that Albion probably would have had,
05:47we all knew going into the campaign that the XI was going to be pretty strong and
05:51you know a handful of subs but today, it was a bunch of kids the week before the start of the
05:55season wasn't it, Usman Diakite, Fabrotta and Dobbin all come on and you know played their
06:00parts today, big tackles, running Albion out of danger, much more to come from them and that is
06:04probably the bit we'll sign off on because it's just you know that strength in depth does kind
06:09of seem to be there a little bit. Yeah yeah yeah yeah I mean a bit of a funny anecdote,
06:14obviously you have to dip out just before the final whistle don't you to go and interview the
06:18away fans outside and you said to me on the way off here didn't you that you thought there was a
06:23third goal, turned out just to be Diakite smashing into one of the stoke players. The fans were
06:26boing boing so I kept refreshing my phone but yeah it was a big tackle by the way but you know
06:31big impact from them. Yeah and from Otter down here did a couple didn't he, to Diakite and
06:36Dobbin breaking away, real legs, the first time we've seen them in cameos really impressed I
06:42would say and catch the eye, obviously we know, I think another important thing just quickly you
06:48know Rakic, the signing in the week, the lone midfielder, a really interested midfield prospect
06:54to come into this obviously wasn't involved today, we'll get into you can read about it on
06:58our website later or over the weekend Callum Styles, the Barnsley man is checking in as well
07:03that's set to be confirmed so yeah you talk about the cameos from those new boys they're really
07:09impressive as players we haven't even seen yet obviously Albion are in the market for a striker
07:13before Friday's deadline as further cover and firepower in the final third. Can't remember if
07:18we mentioned Diogane at the start of this did we? No we didn't. That's a slight blot on the
07:23copybook isn't it? I mean yeah so in essence Grady Diogane has hurt his shoulder towards the end
07:31wasn't he? He come on played 10-15 minutes did his shoulder, doesn't sound good from Carlos Corban
07:37unfortunately, we'll bring the words and details on that online imminently but in a nutshell it's
07:43shoulder ligament so Albion's head coach didn't sound too optimistic about it in all honesty which
07:49is a shame on many ways really and the only down note from today the only sour note I remember
07:55that with Dike a couple of seasons ago and feeling sort of similar after a 2-1 win I think
07:59Molumbi inspired that day and obviously you know Diogane isn't going to be that bad we're talking
08:05nine or ten months as it was the case with Dike but that'll be a blow if he misses a significant
08:09period obviously he was just on his way back so hopefully you know fingers crossed for the best
08:13with Grady but that was the only only down note on what has been a brilliant day otherwise yeah
08:19negative sort of end to the day but a positive result for Albion final score at the Bet365
08:26stadium Stoke 1 Albion 2 all the rest of your reaction head to expressthestar.com