Madeley details Premier League talks that left West Brom stewing over Everton fixture
West Brom made a request to the Premier League to have their upcoming fixture with Everton moved to late March, according to The Athletic.
However despite holding talks with both clubs the authorities overlooked Albion’s appeals and moved the game to Thursday March 4, leaving Big Sam’s side with just two days rest before facing Newcastle United in a crucial relegation clash on March 7.
The rescheduling came about because of Everton’s progress in the FA Cup with their quarter-final against Manchester City pencilled in for March 20.
As reported by The Athletic’s Steve Madeley “discussions were held between the clubs and the Premier League with West Brom making it clear they believed the game should have been moved to the midweek immediately before Everton’s quarter-final or to a date soon after the international break in late March.”
However those concerns fell on deaf ears and Albion will have just 64 hours of rest between the conclusion of Thursday night’s game and Sunday’s 12pm kick-off.
The Athletic report details Albion’s belief that the March 4 date only suits Everton in their quest for FA Cup glory and comes at the expense of their slim survival hopes.
Allardyce labelled the decision as “totally and utterly bizarre”.
No help for those at the bottom
It is a headache for Big Sam and his concerns are justifiable.
The fact that there is such a short turnaround between games is one disappointment for Albion’s recovery process.
But with Newcastle given a full week to prepare for the fixture it creates a massive advantage for Steve Bruce’s side.
And it is lucky they do.
Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin and Emil Krafth all came off injured in their 1-1 draw with Wolves on Saturday but will be given an extended period of time to shake off their issues.
If Albion pick up any problems on Thursday it could be curtains for their involvement v Newcastle.
We can only help ourselves – Albion can’t expect any favours from the Premier League anymore.
In other West Brom news, poll reveals how likely Albion fans think survival is after 1-0 win v Brighton.
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