‘Extremely difficult’ – Pundit delivers WBA automatic promotion verdict after draw v Blackburn
Former Wolves midfielder Alex Rae has claimed that West Brom have put themselves in an “extremely difficult” position following their draw against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
The Baggies still hold a three-point lead over third-placed Brentford, but the Bees have won every game since the Championship restarted and are closing in quickly.
Albion now face a must-win clash against Fulham on Tuesday night, knowing that a loss combined with a Brentford victory against Preston North End would see them slip out of the top two on goal difference.
And Rae, who was part of a Wolves side who were ousted from the automatic promotion spots by a late West Brom surge in 2007, has emphasised the size of the psychological task facing Slaven Bilic’s men in the coming days.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “It’s extremely difficult because you can see them coming like a train.
“You just try to say to yourself ‘we need to hit targets’ but then when you lose a game it becomes more and more difficult and it can be really hard to cling on.
“The mind is a really powerful tool when you’re trying to get over the line. As a footballer, if you’ve got a lead and someone is chipping away at it, believe me you are very much aware of that. It’s OK saying ‘just focus on your own job’ but it’s not always possible.
“But if you were the West Brom manager now you’d be emphasising that the form you’ve had is still very much good enough to get you where you’re trying to go.”
There’s no point beating around the bush with this one – West Brom are in a precarious position.
But just because Brentford are in fine form, it doesn’t mean that we will completely crumble.
Drawing against Blackburn was a very literal blow in the sense that we dropped two points.
But we have also taken 10 out of 12 in our past four matches, and are by no means collapsing here.
Seven points from our last three games would be enough to see us promoted, and while Fulham will represent an almighty challenge, it’s still a winnable match.
We have to remain positive, and do our best to block out the looming threat that the Bees pose.
In other West Brom news, Albion could be invited to play for silverware at Wembley next month.
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