‘Before it’s too late’ – Michael Owen predicts West Brom clash v Newcastle
Michael Owen suggests West Brom will have to improve their results quickly if they want to avoid relegation back to the Championship this season.
Slaven Bilic has found himself under increasing pressure after a miserable start to the Premier League season was made worse on Sunday with a 5-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace.
Next up for the Baggies is a clash against Newcastle at St James’ Park with Steve Bruce’s side returning to action after a week off due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the North-East club.
Ex-Magpies striker Owen is struggling to see anything but a win for his former club, which suggests Bilic could be in a fight to save his job after the full-time whistle blows on Saturday afternoon.
“Newcastle had a bit of time off after last week’s match against Villa was postponed. They should come into this one fresh and face a West Brom side that suffered a heavy defeat on home soil against Southampton,” Owen wrote on the BetVictor website.
“The Baggies were well in the match until the red card. They capitulated after that incident and now will have to turn the corner very quickly before it’s too late.
“The away side have lost 10 of their last 11 matches, and if Newcastle are anywhere near full-strength, I think they’ll take maximum points.”
Clock ticking for Bilic and Baggies
It still feels as though we’re at an early stage of the season but Albion have now played 11 times – almost a third of their games – and have just one win to show for it.
After the loss against Palace on Sunday, the Mirror reported that the Newcastle game could be make or break for Bilic in terms of his future at The Hawthorns.
West Brom have reportedly been on the hunt for replacements for Bilic already, which suggests that they will have no issue with dropping the axe on the Croatian manager if they do lose to Newcastle on Saturday.
If they do lose at St James’ Park, it’s not as though Albion have a decent set of fixtures on the horizon to dig themselves out of trouble either.
Manchester City, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Leeds and Arsenal are the Premier League games that follow and let’s face it, even the FA Cup Third Round meeting with Blackpool on January 9 doesn’t look too appetising either at the minute.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips has tipped Albion to sack Bilic within hours if they lose to Newcastle.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.