View: One player still on the books at Hawthorns – West Brom worst team of the decade
After putting together a team of the best players that have played for West Brom in the 2010s, it is only natural to do the opposite and name the worst team of the decade.
West Brom have had some terrible players in the 2010s and when you think about some of them, it is baffling to think that the club managed to stay in the Premier League for so long.
From expensive flops to disastrous loan signings, Albion have had them all.
Here is our worst team of the decade:
Goalkeeper – Scott Carson
It might be a bit unfair to name Carson in this side but for most of the 2010s, Ben Foster and Sam Johnstone have been West Brom’s number one goalkeepers. Carson kicked off the decade in between the sticks for the Baggies and out of those who played regularly in goals, he is by far the worst.
Defence – Cristian Gamboa, Diego Lugano, Ali Gabr, Jason Davidson
In the two full-back positions, we have two players who were signed up in that season. You know, the one with the pinstripes and Alan Irvine. West Brom fans still shudder at the thought of 2014/15. Gamboa and Davidson were both signed off the back of World Cups with their respective nations Costa Rica and Australia, but it was clear almost straight away that neither were anywhere near to Premier League quality.
Diego Lugano has to be the stand-out in this defence though. The Uruguayan had a decent career, playing for the likes of Fenerbahce and Paris Saint-Germain before he moved to West Brom in 2013 and went down in Hawthorns infamy. Lugano’s performance in the 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa is the worst solo display by any Baggies player in the 2010s.
Joining Lugano at centre-back is the mythical Ali Gabr, who joined Albion on loan in their relegation season and played exactly zero times. He was definitely worth the £430,000 loan fee that Albion paid [King Fut].
Midfield – Grzegorz Krychowiak, Craig Gardner
West Brom’s midfield options in the 2010s have not been the worst but two sources of constant frustration in the second half of the decade were Krychowiak and Gardner.
It may be harsh to name Gardner because he did have some good games but on the whole, the former Aston Villa midfielder just lacked the quality that was needed in the Premier League. He was a grafter and a favourite of Tony Pulis, but for someone who played so often, he did little to impress.
Krychowiak is the opposite to Gardner because the Poland international arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain much to the surprise of supporters because he was meant to have been a real coup.
Instead, the midfielder’s lacklustre displays played a role in West Brom’s relegation and he seemed to spend more time travelling the country and building a following on Instagram rather than putting in the hours at the training ground.
Attack – Oliver Burke, Daniel Sturridge, Marcus Rosenberg, Nicolas Anelka
Burke cost West Brom £15million but has been nothing but useless since. The Scotland international arrived in the same window as Krychowiak and a lot of fans thought they had snapped up one of Britain’s best young players. Instead, he finds himself still at the club but out on loan at Alaves, where he is struggling to start.
Sturridge was another loanee in West Brom’s relegation season that makes this season. Alan Pardew rolled the dice to sign the forward on loan from Liverpool in January but – as expected – the ex-Chelsea man suffered from an injury almost straight away and Albion suffered their drop to the Championship.
Rounding off West Brom’s worst team of the decade are Rosenberg and Anelka.
Rosenberg made 33 appearances for the Baggies but did not score a single goal in a competitive fixture while Anelka will always be remembered for being the player who was sacked for gross misconduct.
Anelka’s ‘quenelle’ gesture led to a huge uproar in the 2013/14 season and he was eventually forced out of the club.
Manager – Alan Pardew
It could have been him or Irvine, but Pardew was the man who was largely responsible for West Brom’s relegation in 2018 and he has thoroughly deserved his appointment as manager of this awful team.
In other West Brom news, Charlie Austin has been raving about one of his team-mates.