Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox give their take on Albion's defeat against Norwich.
The Baggies had first half chances but failed to take them and were stung by a late goal from Josh Sargent, as their away days blues continued.
The Baggies had first half chances but failed to take them and were stung by a late goal from Josh Sargent, as their away days blues continued.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Baggies fans, welcome to ExpressingStyle.com, my name is Jonny Jury, I'm here with Albion
00:11correspondent Lewis Cox, in what feels like a very, very big case of déjà vu, Albion
00:16have come away from home, they haven't picked up a victory, they don't do that often at
00:21all this season, but they've lost very, very late on, lost a game that it looked like they
00:27was harder to lose the game than do anything else today, Josh Sargeant scored a 92nd minute
00:33in a game that Albion, possession wise, dominated, probably had the best chance in the first half,
00:37second half was a bit of a non-event, but Cox, a huge frustration from Albion fans,
00:41massive missed opportunity, you know, a lot to dissect in the next six or so minutes, but...
00:47And on the four hour zone?
00:48On the four hour zone, yes, yeah, yeah, there'll be a few expletives in that one probably in the car,
00:53but I don't know how to describe it, without going over the top or not dressing it up too
01:03much and being too, you know, positive about it, they've missed a massive, massive, massive
01:09opportunity here today against a Norwich side who, well you can see why they're mid-table,
01:13but they've scored and they've won the game.
01:15There's a lot of frustration around, and I think you could sense that from Tony Mowby speaking
01:19just there, couldn't you? I mean, you started off saying déjà vu, I know what you're saying,
01:25but the irony is, nil-nil would have felt like déjà vu, wouldn't it? A 19th draw of the season,
01:30we'd have been here cursing, ripping our hair out, asking what's the answer?
01:34And it's all, you know, typical Albion, Albion that, you know, find a way to
01:39throw it away, throw a point even, away at the def, and let's have it right,
01:42this wouldn't have been a good point.
01:43Yeah, yeah. Norwich are Norwich in the champ, they're usually a good side, aren't they? But
01:50these are not in a good way, are they? Home fans turning on them, no confidence. Yes,
01:56they can make chances because they've got a couple of very, very decent attackers, but
02:01the way they were on the ball in the first, see Obama? In the first half,
02:06the way they were on the ball and stuff, they just, there was no confidence about them at all,
02:10was it? And look, I thought Albion were decent in the first half, and they had big chances,
02:20and they had Norwich, by and large, camped in, but for a lot of it, Norwich had a big
02:25chance of their own, didn't they? And I think we felt at half-time, well, sort of more of the
02:30same and Albion will win this, you know, they're creaking, they're cracking, Albion will score the
02:34goal, but that's the story of the season, Jonny. And final ball to not create enough chances, but
02:43you know, where were they going in that second half? I just said, you know, more of the same
02:48would Norwich have cracked that second half. To me, I think we both agreed, didn't we? And
02:52a few people watching on, I'm sure, would agree, I didn't think the second half was up to it,
02:56and I think Albion delivered a similar level in the second period as to what they did in the first
03:02half. I think in terms of the ball, they dominated it in the second half, they didn't create the
03:06chances, but you need, like we've had a lot of fans on social media, you know, criticising Mowbray,
03:11and I think there is some criticism today, what the main criticism is, I think he left his
03:14substitutions a bit too late, the game needed a spark, you know, Tony Mowbray's been a football
03:20manager for God knows how long, he knows more about football than I, you know, he's forgotten
03:23more about football than I have, but I think he left them too late today, but I think we've said
03:29this under Corbran, Bruce, you know, even probably back as far as Ishmael, players have got to step
03:35up and take responsibility, if you've got that much of the ball, they had that much of the ball
03:40in the second half, they just couldn't get through, and yes, sides bank up, sides bank up, and sides,
03:45you know, Norwich would have been happier than Point by the look of things today, the fact that
03:49they've got all three, you know, daylight robbery, but they're delighted going home, but
03:54players have got to step up and try and find that way up, grab the game by the scruff of the neck,
03:59and there are players in that side that have got the quality to do it, but we've seen it so many
04:03times this season, where they've dominated possession, and had, and were camped, at times
04:08they felt like they were camped on the edge of Norwich itself, but didn't have that penetration
04:12to get through the final third, and ultimately I think it's a mixture of, yeah, I think you've got
04:16substitutions wrong, but players have got to take a bit of responsibility as well, they did play well
04:20in the first half, and probably overall they deserved to win the game, but you're coming away
04:23from it feeling pig sick, because they shouldn't have lost the game. Yeah, yeah, I think that,
04:28like, it's easy to say after a defeat, and, you know, I think we've just said it after another
04:31draw, but they seem really low on confidence when it comes to winning games, you know, belief that
04:38they'll score the goals that, you know, they get to half-time into the second half, oh the goal's
04:43not coming again, and Tony's referenced the performance levels at Leeds and Burnley, hasn't
04:48he, and he's been right to, and without giving too much away on this video, I'm going back to go
04:53and write it up, but he was happy with the performance levels today, wasn't he, he said,
04:56look, performance levels like that, we'll get where we want to be, we'll get into the playoffs,
04:59look, there's a massive missed opportunity today with rivals slipping up, I agree with
05:05your point, Jonny, about players stepping up, I agree about the timing of the subs, I would say,
05:12I've seen some chatter about, you know, it just ends up being with all the attackers on, and all
05:16kind of, what positions are they playing, where are they going, I don't know if I necessarily
05:20agree with that, but, I mean, Armstrong wasn't in the game today, was he? Well that's a conundrum,
05:26isn't it, I'm just about to write something about that, but there's got to be, you know,
05:30you look at the chat, he didn't have chance today, no, did he, he didn't have a chance,
05:33he got down the sides a couple of times in the box, put a cross in, that no one could get on the
05:36end of, he just wasn't really in the game, and I don't think he's having, he's not having bad
05:42displays, but he's just not getting, he's a striker that thrives off chances, he's not creating
05:47chances, and surely playing him up front in the zone, maybe isn't the solution, maybe you need
05:51to look at it. Jonny, I think the bottom line is the creativity, and it's the lack of creating
05:56enough chances today, you know, first half Albion had quite a few good chances, and went close,
06:00a couple of good saves, but what did we have, we had a grand pot shot from 22-25 yards, I think
06:04they've had one clear cut chance, Higgins, the Higgins header, yeah, in the space of a minute
06:08they were, weren't they, so, you know, what, what in terms of, and clear cut, and chances created in
06:14the second half, by the way, were in the 94th minute, after the Norwich goal, yeah, you know,
06:18Bartley's header saved, and then Dean Garner had a, cleared off a line, but they haven't scored
06:24enough goals, have they, all season, you know, and we know that the mindset of the previous head
06:30coach, and all of that, but it is, to a point, a mystery, when you look at the squad, isn't it,
06:36and the caliber of the players, it's that final percent, and we've said that, haven't we, maybe
06:40talked about it on the podcast this week, it's that, when you look at the quality of the squad,
06:44the more it goes on, and the more Albion haven't, you know, overall, the picture of the playoffs
06:48looks pretty good, other sides have lost, Middlesbrough have made a bit of ground today,
06:50they've won late against Oxford, you know, Albion is still leading the hunt, really,
06:54for the playoffs, alongside Coventry, however, you know, how many times do they go for these
06:59missed opportunities, when we come out and say, I've just said it before, I do think
07:03they're quality players to break teams down in there, but then, how long has it gone before you
07:07start to question, are they actually good enough, you know, the fans just said to me outside,
07:10Albion just aren't good enough, and in a way, I can't agree with that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that might
07:14be the case, but what will happen eventually, Johnny, is Albion will slip up, draw, whatever,
07:19and the rivals will win, and eventually, I'm pretty sure, I'm not saying that this is what I think
07:24will happen, but if Albion keep drawing, or throwing in the odd, losing, and don't win enough,
07:28obviously, eventually, a rival's going to leapfrog them, that's just common sense, so,
07:33will they pay for it, you know, it's confidence, I'm speaking, you know, as us, as onlookers,
07:39commentators, but certainly, you know, supporters watching this, confidence will be extremely low
07:43in this race, even though Albion haven't moved today, still sixth, other rivals have messed up
07:48as well, I mean, I haven't even seen the Borood one, until right after that, but, and let's have
07:55it right as well, look, Norwich, poor, as we've said, they've actually changed to a back five
07:59today, to try and be more pragmatic, they've conceded way too many goals, only their second
08:03clean sheet here this season, which says it all, what's the phrase, Albion that, but my point is,
08:09games to come are against better sides than this, aren't they, well, exactly, yeah, look,
08:13ironically, Albion, you know, tend to play a bit better, they'll go and win, that's what will
08:18happen, they'll probably go and win one of their games, Bristol away, or Coventry away, but I get,
08:22I think, I get the frustration today, I mean, that's, it's a shocking result really, isn't it,
08:27when you go by the, the way the game went, I mean, was it Mowbray's third game or something,
08:33Plymouth away, you referenced Swansea away earlier, didn't you, Plymouth away, pretty
08:38dull game, is it, similar but different to this, and that's the frustration of the games that
08:43they're having to partner around, if you go back to a quarter, not Oxford away, Swansea away,
08:48Plymouth away with Tony, Plymouth away with Tony, yeah, you know, defeats, defeats, not to mention
08:55the draws, defeats where they, in some of those, got ahead, mentality thing maybe as well, I don't
09:02know, look, we've had news of Madger this week, haven't we, the top scorer who's not played since
09:06early Jan, and Armstrong's not been able to answer the question yet, has he, and, you know, is that
09:11him, to a point, yes, but you mentioned the service to him, the formation they're perhaps
09:15playing, there's a full three today, wasn't it, or a variety, we haven't got too deep into that, but
09:23Johnston was on the bench, international duty, Isaac Price didn't get on, did he, obviously he's,
09:27you know, played a lot for Northern Ireland and he's carrying a little bit,
09:30carrying something, so the DK didn't get on, you know, I asked Tony about those, so
09:36obviously have a look at what we write up about that, and I get the frustration, I do,
09:41but look, let's not, I mean, ruin the season by being knee-jerk, it's not over, is it?
09:47No, overall picture, but I think in isolation, today's result and, you know, how it feels
09:52against, you know, our other results throughout the season, it's just, yeah, I don't think,
09:57I think, it's not good enough to go on, you can't win games like that. There's a little cycle,
10:01the frustration of supporters, and I think when you look at the squad and the talent within
10:06the ranks, you know, and what they should be able to produce from an attacking perspective,
10:10by the way, we have an attack-minded manager who wants to attack and score goals,
10:14and it doesn't happen, you know, two draws before today, look, Burnley and Leeds performances were
10:21good and good results, weren't they, but you look at the overall picture, the grand scheme of things,
10:28there's way too many, I don't know, Jonny, it feels, it's a frustrating one today, isn't it?
10:34Really frustrating one, yeah. An interesting bottom line, I think, is what Mowbray's overall
10:41view was to me, in that he thought overall the performance level was enough to win the games.
10:46I also think on there, he's probably maybe laid into them a little bit for
10:50maybe not turning the screw and taking opportunities.
10:53I think he's laid into them for the lack of quality in the final third, I would say decision
10:57making, pass, and that's the problem this season, is that the defending for the goal wasn't good,
11:03it was, you know, Swift lost it, and then through ball, Holgate, beyond Holgate,
11:07cuts inside, gets the finish away before Holgate, while Bartley's busting to get back,
11:11not a good goal, Sargent's quality, we all know that, but defending hasn't been the problem
11:15this season, has it? I'm not saying the defenders are blameless, but it's not been the problem,
11:20the problem's been at the other end, and by the way, Bartley and Higgum, you know,
11:24going score more, you know, they're not blameless for the things in the final third,
11:29but, I mean, it's so frustrating, isn't it, because in that first half, Swift played well,
11:36we thought, we were speaking in the first half, Grant, one of the brightest spots on the pitch,
11:41Fellows back in the start in 11, we thought he was bright in that first half, I thought Albion
11:46were, but that second half was poor, and yeah, very frustrating trip back up the A14, Johnny.
11:51Certainly poor, and a long way home, but yeah, another, well, sense of déjà vu,
11:56but I'll be still in the playoff race, but this one hurts that little bit more. Final score here
12:00at Carrow Road, Norwich 1 Albion 0, the rest of your reaction, you know where to go, expressandstar.com