Baggies FTW!
West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has said that he is extremely satisfied with the performances of his club so far this campaign.
West Brom have just lost their fourth consecutive home match, which has put the pressure on Roy Hodgson. Even though the club are a comfortable five points away from the drop zone, the threat of relegation still looms upon the club.
It seems that West Brom are interested in strengthening their squad in the January transfer window, after it was revealed that manager Roy Hodgson is looking to make some signings within the end of this month.
Reading striker Noel Hunt seems to be the main transfer target for West Brom, as Roy Hodgson reportedly sent a number of scouts to watch the striker in action.
West Bromwich Albion are rumoured to be looking at the prospect of signing midfielder Christian Rodriguez during the winter transfer window from Portuguese giants FC Porto, it has been revealed.
The Uruguay international winger has been in the radar of the Baggies for quite some time now and if the reports from West Brom sources are to be believed, they are willing to make a splash and go for the highly rated winger to add more firepower and flair to their midfield.
West Brom showed that they are a match for any team in the Premier League. Roy Hodgson’s West Brom side have been on a real good run of form of late. They recently had a victory over Newcastle United and against Blackburn Rovers, which has propelled them into the top half of the table.
They have moved into the top half of the table at the expense of clubs like Aston Villa, who were expected to challenge for European positions. Now, they have proven that they are a match for any Premier League team by managing a 0-0 draw with leaders Manchester City.
West Brom have been dealt a major blow in their efforts to fight against relegation, as one of the crucial members of the squad – Zoltan Gera – has been ruled out for an indefinite period.
West Brom manager Roy Hodgson confirmed on the website that Zoltan Gera has indeed suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for a significant portion of the season. He also refused to comment whether Gera will be returning back in time before the season concludes.
WBA manager Roy Hodgson was horrified by the strength of the tackle on striker Shane Long in the midlands derby, which could see the Baggies without their main striker for almost 6 weeks.
In the heat of the battle Villa defender Alan Hutton crucnhed into Long. Whilst the crowd gasped at the force of the challenge, Hutton got away with the tackle scot free.
“It will be very interesting to see what the experts think but I thought it was an appalling tackle,” Hodgson said after the match.
“Shane’s lucky not to have two broken legs. He has a serious knee injury I would think.”
West Brom have signed Billy Jones on a free transfer on a three-year deal. Jones has moved to the Hawthorns after his contract with relegated North End came to an end.
The 24-year-old, who can also play in midfield, was Preston’s player of the year last season in the Championship and made over 150 appearances for them.
He is West Brom’s second signing of the summer, the Ipswich defender Gareth McAuley having joined in May.
West Brom are set to end Chelsea’s dream for another season by at least taking a point off the league chasers. Dreams of a Champions League title may have been erased but the Blues will now look to bounce back domestically and keep alive faint hopes of a premier league title this weekend against West Brom.Chelsea saw any hopes of silverware evaporate during the week when the London club was defeated in the quarter-finals of the prized European competition, as perfectly predicted by Mike Richardson.
West Brom has informed that they will be retaining for the backroom staff even under new manager Roy Hodgson. Appleton and Downing were promoted to assistant head coach and first team coach respectively last month.
Their appointments followed the departure of Roberto Di Matteo as Baggies manager on 6 February (when a certain webmaster put a free football bet on them to stay up :).)
“It has gone as smoothly as it possibly could and a lot of thanks goes to Michael and Keith,” said Hodgson.
Substitute Carlos Vela helped West Brom get out of the drop zone by scoring a vital late goal against Stoke. After a forgettable first half Rory Delap profited from some poor West Brom defending to head Stoke in front from a Jermaine Pennant corner.
But Vela benefited from a close offside decision to level from six yards only five minutes after he had come on.
The Mexican striker almost snatched a winner in injury time but was denied at pint-blank range by Asmir Begovic.