Football Weekly: WBA form, Everton’s new stadium and Birmingham City contracts
Coming up on our weekly football show, we dive into the rest of the EFL including West Brom’s dip in form and Birmingham City’s new deals for their star players.
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00:00Coming up in your weekly football roundup, we'll start at West Bromwich Albion where
00:08their momentum in the Championship has stalled slightly, then to Birmingham City where there's
00:12some new contracts on the table, across the West Midlands to Wolverhampton Wanderers where
00:17there has been an injury in the goalkeeping department and then finally we'll move north
00:21to Merseyside. First we'll look at Liverpool's injury situation and then to Everton with
00:26a stadium update. And so to West Bromwich Albion where results have dried up at the
00:32Hawthorns, a loss at home to Middlesbrough being perhaps one of the most notable. Why
00:37is this? Well, we've been finding out. West Bromwich Albion obviously started the season
00:43fantastically well, we're top of the division. They've slipped down to fourth with 17 points
00:48still. I mean, I'm sure most or all of West Bromwich fan base would have taken that at
00:54this stage. But without a win in three, losing obviously Sheffield Wednesday and then Middlesbrough
01:00at home and then drawing to Millwall at home, a bit of momentum has sort of gone. How have
01:07they sort of revived that? There's some winnable fixtures coming up but comparing it to the
01:12start of the season, has much changed or do they just need to sort of get back with that
01:16confidence? Well, it's a strange one really because I don't think anyone expected West
01:21Brom to start the way they did winning pretty much every single game apart from that draw
01:26against Leeds United at home, another goalless one. Josh Major starting a lot better than
01:31a lot of people would have expected as well. Seven goals in seven, that's now seven in
01:35nine. Just the output up front hasn't quite been there in his last three games. Did score
01:39twice away at Sheffield Wednesday, which isn't too bad. Just an off day defensively that
01:43one. The Middlesbrough game maybe just outsmarted a little bit, Hayden Hackney getting the late
01:48goal in that and then Millwall, they sat back and they played for a nil-nil draw. There
01:52was no doubt about that. West Brom had 80% of the ball in that game at the Hawthorns
01:56and just such a frustrating game for Albion, they couldn't make a way through. I think
02:00we might see a few changes for this weekend against Oxford United. It's inevitable when
02:06they're not scoring goals too much in the last few matches and it needs to be a bit
02:09more clinical. Jed Wallace has been on the bench for much of this season. Could we see
02:13him maybe getting a start? Tom Fellows has been in and out of the team the last few weeks.
02:18Surely he's got to play. He's one of the most exciting players in the whole squad. And then
02:21Mikey Johnston not quite hitting the ground running as people would have hoped. Is Karlan
02:25Grant the better option? Lots of selection dilemmas for Corbran, but a good problem really
02:29to have such depth in attack. Yeah, and just on the fixtures coming up, obviously Oxford away,
02:35Blackburn away, Cardiff City are rock bottom at home. I mean, you look at those fixtures
02:40and if you are going to be a team that's going to be reaching those playoff places
02:43and maybe challenging in a possible title race come the end of the season and the big
02:48parts of the season, these are games that you have to get points at. Yeah, I think the
02:52Oxford one, it's a newly promoted team. They've drawn three and lost three and won three of
02:57their games. So it's been a bit of a shaky and strange start for them. I mean, three
03:01wins out of nine is not too bad at all for a newly promoted team, but the golfing quality
03:05in the two squads, you would expect West Brom to get a decent result there. Blackburn's a
03:09lot trickier. John Eustace has led them to very good starts this season, but they've
03:14maybe been overperforming a little bit. They've been quite clinical. If you look at the expected
03:18goals figures so far this season, they have been outperforming what they should be doing.
03:22So another one where you'd fancy at least a draw maybe. And then that final game against
03:26Cardiff City, it's simply got to be three points. You've got to be beating those teams
03:30in the round the bottom of the table if you're going to be getting promoted to the Premier League.
03:34At Birmingham City in League One, there's some new contracts that have been offered.
03:39Charles Hague-Jones can tell you more.
03:42On to Birmingham City, obviously suffering a loss to Charlton in their last League One game.
03:48I mean, it just sort of exaggerated that League One isn't quite a walkover that it might look
03:54after their unbelievable start to the season. How are fans reacting after that? Obviously,
03:59it's no time for panic stations, but it certainly is a little reminder that it can
04:04prove quite a tough division to escape. And if you get a bit complacent, like the likes of
04:09Sunderland did in the past, it can sort of get you. We've seen teams with a lead of 10, 12,
04:1613, 14 points in League One, and that gets heavily reduced at the end of the season. We saw in the
04:20championship last year of Leicester City, they start to get a bit complacent and then a bit
04:24squeaky bum time towards the end of the season. These teams either they do act up and then they
04:29manage to see it on through and get promoted, or they can fall away and lose it completely
04:34so early doors for Birmingham to see if they're going to be falling away or not. But that Charlton
04:39game is a reminder, as Chris Davies, the manager, has been saying this whole time, you can't take
04:44any League One game for granted, any win for granted. Charlton, they're not exactly the best
04:49team in the world, and they lost their best player Alfie May to Birmingham in the summer, but Blues
04:54didn't even have a shot on target at the Valley. Charlton did set up quite defensively after they
04:59got their goal, as you would do against the best team in the league, and they worked hard to get
05:03that three points. I think the main reaction from the Blues fans is, oh, okay, right, maybe Davies
05:08is right, this isn't going to be so easy. I think they're a little bit disappointed that unbeaten
05:12record is gone, but realistically, you're never going to get an unbeaten record in 46 matches.
05:18It would have to be one of the most perfect seasons we've ever seen.
05:21Yeah, and obviously, we've mentioned the massive summer, the amount of signings,
05:25there's been some contract situations being updated. What quite appeals to me is that
05:32the length of these contracts as well, the sort of 2028 and three or four years' time.
05:37What's the latest you can tell us on the contract situation, and how pleased should Blues be to
05:43secure these names for a few more years? Yes, the main two recently have been Paik Sang-ho,
05:49the midfielder, and Ethan Laird, the right-back, both, I believe, until 2028, which is a long-term
05:56commitment for both players. Paik Sang-ho, in particular, is showing his quality. He's
06:01definitely a division above, if not higher. If they go up to the championship,
06:05they should be pretty comfortable starting those two players every single week. And then Ethan
06:08Laird maybe leaves a little bit to be desired defensively with his positioning and his tracking
06:13back. But going forward, he's got so much energy, so much charisma. And his delivery may be a little
06:19bit inconsistent at times, but he's definitely got the potential to be a top quality player for
06:22Blues. Obviously, formerly of Manchester United as well, he's had that good upbringing and training
06:27at Old Trafford. So, yes, to tie those two players down is very important. And I think it
06:32assures Blues that they're not just spending money for the here and now. They're looking
06:35to several years ahead. These crazy sums that we're seeing, it is a long-term plan. It's not
06:40just for this season. At Molyneux, Jose Sarr has picked up an injury in goal for Wolves. This has
06:47meant that Sam Johnston has had to step in to replace him. What is the latest on that situation?
06:53Yes, there's obviously a massive change with Jose Sarr, the club's number one for the past
06:59three or four seasons. He's shipped straight out for Sam Johnston, the backup keeper at Crystal
07:04Palace. That is a decision that, if it works, you're seen as a massive favourable with the
07:12fans. If it doesn't work, which it probably hasn't, you could say, with the amount of goals
07:16they're now conceding, that has to go down to the manager's decision. I mean, it's a crazy
07:22situation. How does Jose Sarr get back into the side? He's completely been outcast. He was
07:30obviously linked with Saudi in the summer as well. It's a massive decision that Gary O'Neill's
07:34probably got wrong. Essentially, I think time will tell, they've been leaking goals no matter
07:39what the goalkeeper is. Of course, Jose Sarr conceded six against Chelsea. We can't be
07:44forgetting that. He kept getting beaten at his near post consistently. His distribution wasn't
07:48good enough. The confidence had gone in him, to be honest. I know over the years he's been a great
07:52goalkeeper, but his confidence just wasn't there. Sam Johnston, you hoped that he'd maybe hit the
07:57ground running a little bit better, but when you're continuing on from so many goals being
08:01conceded, it is difficult to do that. I think cut Johnston a little bit of slack for now,
08:06but it's not exactly a good overview at the moment, is it, with how many goals are going in?
08:10Is it more the defence at fault? Is it the goalkeepers? Is it a knock-on effect where
08:14the goalkeepers haven't got that confidence because of the defence in front of them? I think
08:18it's probably a mix of all of those elements. Stuff really needs to improve soon. Otherwise,
08:23well, as you say, it's a very difficult situation in goal at Wolves.
08:28Now to Merseyside, where Liverpool are preparing to face Chelsea
08:32at Anfield on Sunday. Before that, though, we have an injury update for the Reds.
08:38Not in the immediate future. It looks like the Liverpool goalkeeper is going to be out for
08:43around six weeks with a hamstring injury, which is a blow for Liverpool because the
08:51backbone of the team has been magnificent so far this campaign. They conceded two goals
08:59in their opening seven league games. That's been the real bedrock of Liverpool's early success.
09:07Finally, to Everton, who of course are playing at Goodison Park for the final season in their
09:12history. Next year, they'll be at Bramley Moor Dock and we have an update on the stadium.
09:19Well, looking at Everton and their new mega stadium, obviously we've mentioned the progress
09:23and how quick they've shot it up and the fantastic infrastructure and the sort of jobs it'll bring
09:29to the area and how well it'll represent the city as well. Just give us a little update on it and
09:37how are fans sort of feeling about the fact they are going to have to move home and
09:42Goodison's been there so, so long. It's quite a mixed bag, I'm guessing.
09:48It is, yeah. I mean, Goodison Park, it's a real historic stadium, isn't it? It's synonymous with
09:54Everton Football Club, but I think supporters accept that change is needed and if Everton
10:00want to really kick on, then they need to move with the times and that is at the new stadium
10:06at Bramley Moor Dock and it's coming towards the end now. Everton get the keys at the end of the
10:13year. We're seeing more updates as the days go by, you know, the big screens have been put up and,
10:20you know, fans are putting drone footage up and it looks, it does really, really look incredible.
10:26I think the challenge now for Everton, one will be securing stadium naming rights,
10:32which the Chief Commercial Officer Richard Kenyon's talked about in the matchday programme
10:37before the Palace game, he said that Everton are in talks with several parties and
10:45that will be at least, he says, a 10-year deal they're looking for and it's interesting when
10:50it comes to this naming parties one because whoever gets those, let's be frank, you'll be
10:57calling the stadium that for years to come, even after, say, the deal ends and I'm not saying that
11:02Everton are in line to broker a deal with Saudi Arabia, but I think that was worth between 250
11:08and 300 million euros, so that's another barometer that Everton can use and, of course, supporters
11:15want to secure the seat, they want to be around friends and family who they've sat with for years,
11:19maybe some fans want to sit at a completely different area of the stadium, you know,
11:25and have a new vantage point, but yeah, keys are imminently going to be handed to Everton and then
11:31you're looking at test events etc and then all eyes will be on the, you know, the 25-26
11:39campaign buffet, you know, the main point is that Everton are a Premier League club when they do go
11:45there because results have picked up before the international break, but by no means are Everton
11:51very much clear of danger, they need to continue their upward trajectory and
11:55ensure that they go into the new stadium as a Premier League outfit.